KUALA LUMPUR, July 12 — A study conducted by a Thai consumer watchdog has found that nearly all bubble tea concoctions sold in the country exceeded the World Health Organisation’s daily limit for sugar intake.
The Foundation for Consumers collected samples from 25 brands. The criteria used were that they were all of the same regular size, had no ice and priced between 23 to 140 baht. It also included those which had tapioca “pearls”. Besides sugar, they were also tested for calorie count, fat, heavy metals and preservatives.
Almost 100 per cent of those samples were found to have excessive levels of sugar. Only two bubble tea brands had amounts which were lower than the WHO recommended upper limit of daily sugar intake.
The Thailand bubble tea market has hundreds of brands.