Guwahati: The Tea Board of India has proposed that only 5 percent flavour can be added to tea.

Given the significance of quality and compliance with FSSAI requirements, the Board suggested in a notice today that makers of flavoured tea be permitted to add natural flavours and natural flavouring substances up to 5.00 percent only as a single flavour or as a combination of several flavours.

"Flavor additions over 5% shall not be considered for issue of a flavoured tea registration certificate by the Tea Board," the Board stated.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare through a notification in 1999 had said flavoured tea manufacturers shall register themselves with the Tea Board before marketing flavoured tea. Accordingly, the Tea Board issues flavoured tea registration certificates to the manufacturers of flavoured tea.

As per Chapter 2.10.1 of Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 tea may contain "natural flavours" and "natural flavouring substances " which are flavour preparations and single substances respectively, acceptable for human consumption, obtained exclusively by physical processes from materials of plants origin either in their natural state or after processing for human consumption.

However, no mention is made of the maximum proportion of flavour that can be added with tea for the production of flavoured tea. Although the Tea Board advises manufacturers to keep the maximum amount of tea in the flavoured tea to retain the original quality, aroma, and other characteristics of this popularised beverage, there have been instances where a flavoured tea manufacturer uses the least amount of tea (less than 51%) and the most amount of flavour in the product, which ultimately tends to reduce the original and special characteristics of tea as a whole.

The Tea Board, as the facilitating body of the tea, has the mandate to promote tea in any form, including value-added products like flavoured tea, etc., which is a demand of current consumers, but this cannot be done at the expense of compromising the inherent, unique characteristics of the globally acclaimed beverage "Tea."

In this respect, the Board met with the Tea Research Association (TRA), the United Planters' Association of South India (UPASI), and other tea groups from throughout the country's tea-growing areas. The issue was thoroughly addressed, and it was agreed to seek advice from TRA and UPASI based on scientific evidence and analysis.

While UPASI advocated adding up to 5% natural flavouring components to tea, TRA recommends mixing certain flavours up to 10% and other flavours up to 7.5 percent.