NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Have you had boba tea? It's often served with colorful cups with oversized straws, filled with a sweet drink and chewy little pearls.
New safety tests show the popular drink may come with a hidden serious concern: lead. Once a niche Taiwanese treat, bubble tea is now widely available and growing in popularity. And the star of the show: those tapioca boba pearls, made from cassava.
“Cassava’s a root vegetable known to absorb lead and other heavy metals from soil," said Kevin Loria with Consumer Reports. "And because of that, we wanted to see how much lead and other heavy metals these drinks and pearls might contain.”
Consumer Reports tested pearls from two major chains — Gong Cha and Kung Fu Tea — along with packaged boba from Trader Joe’s and Wu Fu Yuan. The results were clear: every single sample contained lead.
“While these levels weren’t so high we’d tell people to completely avoid bubble tea, the fact that we detected lead in all four products is a good reason to treat it as an occasional treat, and not an everyday staple,” said Loria.
Health experts are clear on one point: no amount of lead is safe. And the risks are greatest for children and pregnant people.
Trader Joe’s told Consumer Reports that it has discontinued its Instant Boba Kit. WuFuYuan’s parent company, said: “We take the safety of our products very seriously, and your outreach has prompted us to further improve our existing quality control measures.”
Kung Fu Tea and Gong Cha did not reply to Consumer Reports request for comment.
“It’s impossible to completely avoid lead, because it can be found in a variety of foods—including healthy ones, and your daily exposure can add up”
Because of that, Consumer Reports recommends enjoying treats like bubble tea and dark chocolate, which can also be higher in lead, only occasionally. Experts also say eating a wide variety of healthy foods can help reduce your overall exposure to heavy metals. And nutrients such as calcium, iron, and vitamin C may even help counter some of the effects.
So, while you don’t have to give up bubble tea entirely, best not to make it part of your daily routine.
Because bubble teas can often be high in sugar and calories, it’s another good reason to make it an occasional treat.
It's migratory season for billions of animals across the United States. That means millions of birds and butterflies will take a rest stop in Tennessee and Kentucky as they move south for winter. Tennessee state parks are working to create vital habitat for the migrating monarchs. You may be able to follow their lead around your home to help reverse a declining monarch population.
- Lelan Statom
