Hyderabad: Tea Adulteration Racket Busted, 10 Held, 3,000 Kg Seized
Investigation revealed that the accused were mixing synthetic food colours, jaggery juice, and used and expired tea powder to enhance appearance and increase profits.
Hyderabad: Hyderabad Food Adulteration Surveillance Team (H-FAST) DCP Gaikwad Vaibhav Raghunath said the task force team busted a major adulterated tea powder racket in the city, arresting 10 persons and seizing around 3,000 kg of adulterated tea.
Acting on credible information, the team conducted raids on 15 locations across the city, of which 10 were found storing adulterated tea powder. Officials seized around 3,000 kg of adulterated tea powder, 1,500 kg of expired tea powder, artificial colouring agents, and 100 kg of jaggery.
Addressing the media, the officer said the accused were procuring low-quality, used and expired tea powder at cheaper rates and were mixing synthetic food colours (including Sunset Yellow FCF and Tartrazine), jaggery juice, and used and expired tea powder to enhance appearance and increase profits.
Low-quality tea powder sourced from various regions was adulterated and repackaged under different brand names, then supplied to vendors while being misrepresented as genuine products. He said the adulterated tea powder was being purchased at Rs 140–150 per kg and sold at around Rs 250 per kg after processing.
Warning the public, the officer said consumption of such tea could lead to serious health issues, including stomach disorders, liver damage and even cancer in the long term. He also demonstrated simple methods to identify adulterated tea, noting that artificially coloured tea releases colour immediately when mixed with cold water, unlike genuine tea.
The official said the racket was operating within city limits and urged citizens to report any suspected cases of food adulteration to the H-FAST team. A case has been registered under the Food Safety and Standards Act and relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the accused.
