Sorry to burst your bubble, but you might want to give this trendy drink a second thought.
Bubble tea, also known as boba or pearl milk tea, originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and is typically made with tea, milk or creamer, sweetener and, of course, their signature tapioca pearls.
The Instagram-worthy beverage has gained popularity worldwide — but safety tests from Consumer Reports revealed that there might be cause for concern.
Those chewy tapioca morsels — the main feature of the beloved drink — are made from cassava, a root vegetable.
Lead is naturally found in the crust of the Earth, and there’s significant lead contamination in much of the world’s soil — and many fruits and vegetables absorb heavy metals since they’re grown in soil.
Consumer Reports recently discovered that cassava-based products sometimes had very high lead levels, so the experts tested boba pearls, too
After testing the pearls from bubble teas at two popular chains, Gong Cha and Kung Fu Tea, as well as two packaged boba products from Trader Joe’s and WuFuYuan, they discovered that every sample contained lead.
Luckily, none tested above CR’s level of concern for lead, and none had levels of arsenic, cadmium or mercury that would be a health risk in one serving.
“These levels weren’t so high that we’d tell people to completely avoid bubble tea,” James E. Rogers, PhD, director of food safety research and testing at CR, said in a statement.
“However, while this wasn’t a comprehensive look at the boba and bubble tea market, the fact that three out of the four boba samples contained more than 50 percent of our level of concern for lead in one serving is a good reason to treat it as an occasional treat, not an everyday staple.”
Other products CR tested for lead, such as cassava flours and snacks, dark chocolate and baby food, exceeded the level of concern, so in comparison the boba tea isn’t as much of a hazard — though it’s still important to recognize that any exposure to lead can be considered unsafe.
“It’s hard to avoid being exposed to some lead. It’s found in varying amounts in food, drinking water, soil, and many homes,” Rogers said.
“The health risks come from repeated or continuous exposure over time. But small amounts add up and, in the long run, may have health effects. That’s why it’s prudent to minimize your exposure to known sources of lead when you can.”
When Consumer Reports contacted the four companies of the boba they tested, Trader Joe’s said that it had discontinued its Instant Boba Kit.
Jason Tsou, General Manager at WuFuYuan’s parent company, Shanghai ZhouShi Foodstuffs, explained that the company works with an accredited lab to test for lead, and after these findings, they implemented a stricter standard.
“We take the safety of our products very seriously, and your outreach has prompted us to further improve our existing quality control measures,” Tsou said.
Gong Cha and Kung Fu Tea did not reply to CR’s request for comment.
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