Hong Kong branches of a big Taiwanese bubble tea chain have stopped selling passion fruit drinks, fearing that they might contain a cancer-causing additive used in plastic.
The use of Bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate as a thickening agent has shocked Taiwan, where the media have reported that DEHP has been used for at least five years. So far more than a million items produced by some 200 food companies have been found to have been tainted.
Tea Time House, which sells the popular tea containing 'bubbles' of chewy tapioca pearls, halted sales of passion fruit juice in Hong Kong amid reports that drinks sold at its branches in Taiwan contained DEHP, which is not only a possible cause of cancer, but can damage the liver and kidneys in the long term.
Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety confirmed yesterday that officials had collected samples from Tea Time House for testing.
The company, which has 23 outlets in Hong Kong, including two shops in Causeway Bay and one in Mong Kok, said ingredients used in Taiwan to make its passion fruit drinks had been found to contain potentially harmful plasticisers - used to make plastic soft and pliable.
However, some Tea Time House shops were still selling the drink yesterday. One employee said she was not aware of the ban.
The Taiwanese authorities have cracked down on unscrupulous food makers, with three people from an ingredient manufacturer arrested over the weekend.