Tea Vendors Need to Label Drinks Starting in Late July
What you need to know
Some vendors criticize that sources of the foods aren't equal to inspection results of the products. Other coffee retailers also point out the new policy does not apply to drinks served in breakfast chains, and the law will lose its significance if it only regulates certain stores.
Due to the rash of food safety scandals in recent years, the Food and Drug Administration under the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced new regulations on labeling requirements of beverage and fast food chains on July 20.
Starting from July 31, tea vendors, supermarkets or fast food restaurants must clearly label information such as sugar and caffeine content, and the source of raw materials for their coffee, juices and custom-made drinks. Violators be fined up to NT$ 4 million (approximately US$ 127,000) in the future.
NOWnews reports, in addition to sugar, calories and the origins of the food, the new regulation also requires stores to list the proportion of blended tea leaves or coffee beans from high to low. As for fresh juices, only those that contain more than 10% of natural juice can be called juices, or else they can only be labeled as flavors.
RTI reports, the ingredient information can be put in menus as notes, posted on walls or displayed in any other way that is easy for customers to refer to.
Some vendors criticize that sources of the foods aren’t equal to inspection results of the products. Other coffee retailers also point out the new policy does not apply to drinks served in breakfast chains, and the law will lose its significance if it only regulates certain stores.
Translated by June
Edited by Olivia Yang