News regarding the popular milk tea brand, Chun Cui He, hit the stands just yesterday and stores began pulling the beverages off the shelves, disappointing concerned fans.
Said to contain a non-permitted food additive, L-theanine, an amino acid commonly found in tea plants and fungi, the Singapore Government has pulled a red light in having Chun Cui He products sold here, in Singapore.
The news came as a shock as many fans were looking forward to the sale of the well-loved Milk Tea. The short period caused many stores to experience high demand and stocks were sold out throughout the island quickly. The hype even led to 7-11 limiting customers to purchasing 4 bottles each. Some buyers were even found trying to make side incomes by re-selling these drinks on Carousell at a marked up price.
However, it seems like fans are set to be disappointed even longer, say 6 to 12 months due to a mandatory assessment before they can get their hands on a bottle again. The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority told The Straits Times yesterday that Chun Cui He’s production company, Bifido, has proceeded to submit required documents to the AVA to register L-theanine as a permitted food additive.
In the meantime, all Milk Tea have been ceased from sales at all stores in Singapore, though their other flavour, Latte is currently still available. Guess all Chun Cui He lovers would have to make do for now.
Applications submitted are to be accessed based on whether L-theanine is safe to be used in food, after reviews from international organisations’ recommendations and regulatory approvals in other countries.
A director in Nanyang Technological University, Professor William Chen mentioned that a standard 200ml of black tea contains an estimated amount of 24mg of L-theanine while green tea contains about 8mg. Though L-theanine is naturally found in teas that some of us consume daily, it is currently not legal as a food additive.
The Straits Times reported that L-theanine is said to contain calming properties, but the AVA has mentioned that it does not pose a food safety risk. However, this has caused a worldwide ripple effect where Hong Kong’s 7-11 1000 outlets followed suit and removed all drinks branded Chun Cui He after notifications from the Singapore Government has been announced.
A Hong Kong spokesman mentioned that they are currently liaising with their supplier and the Centre for Food Safety to see if such a small amount of L-theanine in the beverages is safe for their customers to consume.
Let’s hope the processes go smoothly and fuss-free so we can finally get to drink our favourite milk tea again.
Featured Image: tnp.sg
This article was first published on goodyfeed.com.
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