The Hindu Business Line : Plea to ensure presence of iron filings in tea is within prescribed limit

Kochi, Nov 27 The Tea Buyers Association, Kochi, has urged the State Government to direct tea manufacturers to adopt a fool-proof mechanism to ensure that the presence of iron filings in tea does not exceed the prescribed limit.

Reacting to the Kerala Health Minister’s reply to the submission of Mr V.K. Ebrahim Kunju, MLA, in the Legislative Assembly relating to the Minister’s statement that while no iron filings were seen in the teas exported, the presence of iron filings was noticed in the 10 samples taken from the domestic market, the Association President, Mr M.K. Ajit, said that it is also essential that suitable modifications in the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act 1954 in accordance with the BIS stipulations are brought about.

Exports

He said that teas exported are mostly of orthodox leaf grades, but in the internal market, the demand is for CTC dust grades.

The manufacturing methods applied for leaf (orthodox) and dust (CTC) teas are different. In the orthodox manufacturing process, the possibility of the presence of iron filings is rare whereas in the case of CTC the presence of a certain percentage of iron filing is unavoidable.

It is for this reason that the Bureau of Indian Standards has prescribed a limit of 250 ppm of iron filings.

It is worth mentioning that the Committee on Legislation for Plantation Sector under the Chairmanship of the Additional Secretary, Department of Commerce, had as early as in September 2007 recommended that similar maximum limit be inserted in the PFA Rules.

Tea buyers as well as major blenders/packeteers such as Hindustan Unilever have started refraining from operating on auction teas of such gardens with more than the prescribed limit of iron filings, he said.

The association has already requested the Tea Board and the Tea Trade Association of Cochin stressing the need for subjecting the samples of all teas meant for auction sales to 100 per cent analysis according to the PFA norms, he added.

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