Hyderabad: With adulterated tea powder flooding the markets, the Telangana Tea Merchants Association has advised people to be vary about such duplicate powders being sold to them.
The advisory was shared after the Food Safety Authority of India officials along with the Central Zone Task Force conducted a raid at a warehouse belonging to Konark Tea Powder Sales and Suppliers at Fatehnagar and seized 300 kg of spurious tea dust, 200 kg of coconut shell powder, chemicals and other ingredients worth Rs 2 lakh.
The three accused — proprietor Bishoya Jagannath, 32, and workers Pratap Pradhan, 21, and Sivswain Parida, 19, were arrested by the police.
Officials maintained that Jagannath was purchasing low quality tea powder or dust at Rs 80 to Rs 100 per kg and used to mix it with coconut shell powder, toxic chemicals, essence and flavouring agent and selling them for Rs 200-250 per kg.
The police had previously caught Jagannath in three similar cases related to food adulteration by Mominpet and Sanathnagar police but he did mend his ways, Task Force DCP Y.V.S. Sudheendra said.
In a video, Shahed Dharvesh, president Telangana Tea Merchants Association stated that the adulterated powder is sold for Rs. 80 a kg in the market to the tea vendors who run tea stalls at roads in public places. Adulterated tea powder is used mainly by the roadside tea vendors who crave for profits. The tea powder is sold at shops in busiest areas such as Monda Market, Ameerpet, S. R Nagar, Secunderabad, Madhapur etc.
“Due to high profits the tea vendors purchase the adulterated powder that contains toxic chemicals and is harmful to health,” said Shahed Dharvesh. The racketeers on the other hand in greed to make money are packing the material in boxes of branded tea powder companies and supplying that to small traders in slum areas and pocketing huge profits.
“The best way to test the authenticity of tea powder is to pour a little amount of it in a glass of water. If the water turns brown within a few seconds then it is adulterated powder because colour and chemical are added to duplicate powder and it is released in water,” explained Shahed Dharvesh.
The Tea Manufacturers Association appealed to the public to alert the authorities concerned if they come across adulterated tea powder sachets or boxes.
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