After the ingredients were "announced", I couldn't drink milk tea calmly

Author | Xiaoyang

Edited by Lu Yiming

Title Picture | Picture worm creativity

Roll small ingredients, roll niche fruits, roll thick coconut light milk... This time, the tea brand has finally rolled up to the ingredient list.

Recently, Heytea announced the formula raw materials, nutritional ingredients and raw material traceability information of more than 40 tea products in one go; At the beginning of September, the emerging milk tea brand "Bawang Tea Queen" launched a "calorie calculator"; A number of freshly made yogurt brands that advertise "health" even put the main ingredient list directly on the body of the beverage cup.

In order to remove the stigma of "unhealthy", tea brands are eager to enlarge and bold the ingredient list and hand it to consumers. In this regard, some netizens commented "I hope other milk tea shops can follow suit", and some netizens lamented that "the effect of real milk and real tea without sugar is very unpleasant".

Why do tea brands start rolling ingredient lists? With the ingredient list endorsed by the testing agency, can consumers let go of the health burden of drinking milk tea? Will choosing lower-calorie beverages be the next new consumer trend?

Tea and milk are healthy,

Why has milk tea become "garbage"?

It is not difficult for consumers who often order milk tea to find that on the official mini program page of Heytea, a button of "Formula Raw Materials Revealed" has recently appeared, and the ingredient information of more than 40 products can be viewed after clicking.

Some of the raw materials show the origin, type, production cycle, production process and flavor map in detail. (Photo/Heytea GO)

Some products publish key nutritional ingredients, including calories, proteins, trans fatty acids, fats, carbohydrates, etc. At the bottom is the "Nutritional Composition Test Report", where consumers can learn about the official test data of protein, fat and other nutrients, and even trace the test report of each ingredient.

In addition to the origin information, each product with a public formula has a number of "quality assurances". Taking roasted brown sugar bobo milk as an example, Zhizhi will emphasize "no milk cover powder and non-dairy creamer", milk is "no creamer and zero additives", and even brown sugar should be written "no preservatives".

The ingredients published in the recipe are accompanied by detailed traceability information. (Photo/Heytea GO)

The introduction of the ingredients of each cup of tea is a testament to the excellence of its own ingredients. It's just that the cup body of Heytea drink does not have any ingredients and nutritional information yet.

In fact, Heytea is not the first tea brand to disclose its formula and nutritional content. In September this year, "Bawang Chaji" launched a "calorie calculator", which allows consumers to query the product calories, nutrients and third-party test reports of 37 kinds of drinks on their mobile phones.

The "calorie calculator" in the official applet of Bawang Chaji. (Photo/Overlord Chahime)

The calorie calculator also shows the caffeine content. According to Bawang Chaji's mini program, the caffeine content of a cup of Boya Juexian (medium cup) is about 103.9 mg, which is comparable to the caffeine content of Starbucks American (small cup). Those who suffer from insomnia after drinking milk tea, those who want to drink milk tea for three consecutive days, may be babbling about the same substance in their mouths - caffeine.

Compared with Hey Tea, Bawang Tea only marks the main ingredients in some products, and there is no detailed traceability of raw materials. The ingredient with clear origin traceability should be the base milk that was fully upgraded at the end of July - "Ice Blanc Non-hydrogenated Base Milk", which is officially called "0 creamer, 0 non-dairy creamer, and 0 hydrogenated vegetable oil".

With the "grandma's handmade" that is out of the circle with an early feeling, the ingredient list is directly designed as part of the product packaging. As can be seen from the stickers on the body of the cup, the main ingredients of "Rice Mochi" are freshly steamed Lipu taro, Parmesan glutinous rice, refrigerated organic milk, caramel cheese and pure tea.

On the right side of the label handmade by Grandma is the "birth certificate" of the drink. (Photo/@南宁纹绣眉姐姐)

Affected by the controversy over the "alleged use of non-dairy creamer", the products of "Jasmine Yogurt" are full of desire to survive. One cup of "Mint Coconut Yogurt Shake" has a 13-line ingredient list that lists the 9 probiotics in yogurt.

Blueglass Yogurt, another freshly made yogurt brand, has an ingredient list that is a wonder in the tea world. The new "Buff series", a cup of various vitamins, folic acid and dietary fiber, etc., occupies half of the cup with three ingredient lists. I feel like I'm not drinking yogurt, but yogurt-like nutritional supplements.

Blueglass Yogurt has blown up all the trace elements. (Photo/Xiaohongshu @T Mei T)

As for the calories, main nutrients and caffeine content, Grandma's handmade, jasmine yogurt and Blueglass Yogurt are not labeled for the time being. Some pregnant women netizens who want to try it are tea in their left hand and blood glucose meter in their right hand, and they screen ready-made drinks that are "edible with pregnancy sugar" by themselves.

As consumers are concerned about the health of tea products, brands are responding to the demand. Since the beginning of this year, the tea market has set off a war of base milk upgrades, and many tea brands have drawn a line with non-dairy creamer. The iteration of base milk is not yet over, and the nutrition list of tea ingredients has been launched one after another.

In recent years, domestic tea brands have many volumes, and everyone has felt it. Taking the initiative to announce the brand action of ingredients and nutritional ingredients, on the one hand, is one of the means for brands to play differentiated marketing, and on the other hand, it is also a good thing to protect consumers' right to know, guide the "milk tea party" to make healthier beverage choices, and try to avoid the tragedy of drinking milk tea and going to the emergency room again.

The ingredient list says a lot,

But I didn't finish it

As a loyal member of the "Milk Tea Party" for more than 10 years, I sincerely hope that this wave of tea secrets will be more violent and wider. However, under the current laws and regulations, it is not illegal for freshly made tea products to not be labelled as ingredients.

According to the requirements of the national standards "General Principles for the Labeling of Prepackaged Foods" and "General Principles for the Nutrition Labeling of Prepackaged Foods", prepackaged foods must be marked on the packaging with energy, the content of the four core nutrients, and the percentage of nutrient reference values.

In addition, the ordering of the ingredient list is also particular, which raw materials should be used the most should be written at the front, and the lower the later, the less. The presence of trans fatty acids and the additives used should also be clearly labelled.

The ingredients and nutrients of a packaged milk tea. (Photo/Xiaoyang)

According to the requirements of the General Rules, ready-made and ready-to-sell beverages such as milk tea can be exempted from mandatory labeling, and whether there is a label and how to label it can be determined by the operator, and there is no mandatory legal provision. In response to this situation, some deputies to the National People's Congress called for the revision of the food safety law during the two sessions of the National People's Congress this year, so that ready-made beverages can be brought with "ID cards", and the management of sugar, caffeine, tea polyphenols and other dosages should be strengthened.

Now, since tea brands are serious about publishing calorie and ingredient lists, I feel the need to take a closer look.

For the average person, the first reaction of base milk without creamer may be bottled milk and boxed milk in the refrigerator of convenience stores. However, in the increasingly developed food industry, there is probably a Mariana Trench between this milk and that milk.

Zhihu netizens @portlousi found the ingredient list and nutrition facts list of "Bing Blanc Non-hydrogenated Base Milk (Milk Containing Drink)". Let's take a look:

Zhihu netizens posted the ingredient list and ingredient list of Bing Blan. (Photo/Zhihu @portlousi)

First of all, milk-containing beverages are distant relatives of the milk family, but are often mistaken for pure milk. According to the national standard GB/T 21732-2008 "Milk-containing Beverages", the protein content of formulated milk-containing beverages is not less than 1.0g/100g, which is about 1/3 of the protein content in pure milk.

Then look at the nutrition facts list. In Bing Blanc's "nutrition facts list", the energy per 100 grams is 1006 kilojoules, 1.8 grams of protein, and 23 grams of fat, and the fat content is 12.8 times that of protein. The ratio of protein to fat in pasteurized and sterilized milk on the market is usually close to 1:1. Milk tea with ice Blanc is richer and mellower? Yes, because there is more fat.

Nutrition facts list of Ice Brown. (Photo/Online store)

Finally, take a look at the ingredient list. The top 5 ingredients in the Bing Blanc ingredient list are drinking water, non-hydrogenated edible oil products, raw milk (≥3%), white sugar and edible salt, followed by a bunch of food additives. These food additives include emulsifiers, thickeners, food flavors, etc.

After reading the base milk of Bawang Chaji, let's take a look at the milk of Hey Tea. For example, roasted brown sugar bobo milk tea is not only filled with real milk without creamer, but also mixed with thick milk. The introduction page of "Mixed Thick Milk" states that it does not add non-dairy creamer, and 0 hydrogenated vegetable oil, but it is difficult to determine whether it contains other additives from the public information.

Introductory page of mixed thick breasts. (Photo/Heytea GO)

In tea shops, there are many other names for similar base milks: light milk, thick milk, raw buttermilk, versatile milk base or various flavored milk bases, etc., each with its own product line. According to the observation of China Beverage Express, this iteration of base milk is largely due to the tea industry's dual pursuit of taste and health to cater to consumers.

After drinking milk tea with cheese cream, condensed milk and evaporated milk, the frankincense sets off the tea feeling, and many consumers can't go back to the tip of their tongues. If you go to drink the original ecological version of milk tea with pure milk and tea soup, I am afraid that you will only feel bland.

I don't want to label all additives as "technology and hard work". The use of appropriate amounts of food additives under the specifications of national standards can not only add flavor and flavor to the drink, enrich the taste, but also appropriately extend the shelf life and facilitate transportation and storage.

If you are bent on the ultimate taste of milk tea, don't expect too much to have an absolutely clean ingredient list. If you really mind additives and see "mixed thick milk" when ordering milk tea, please bypass it directly.

Why can't we quit drinking?

In addition to the base milk that wants to be talked about, the way the nutritional content of the tea brand is presented is also hidden. Both brands compare the calories of their products to fruits such as apples, pears and avocados.

For example, without adding additional sugar, the calories in the cup of Heytea "Yueguan" are about 103 kilojoules, "less than the calories of 1 apple"; On the page of "Yamano Gardenia", it is written that "a whole cup of calories is equivalent to about 1 guava".

In order to reinvent the healthy image of tea products, both brands chose to compare their products side-by-side with healthy fruits. Is drinking milk tea really comparable to eating fruit?

In "The Truth About Diet", authoritative British science writer Tim Spector points out that not all calories are created equal. For example, chocolate wafers, which have similar calorie values, are obviously healthier than nuts because they are not refined, retain their original structure, and are rich in beneficial unsaturated fatty acids and a lot of fiber. In the same way, the calories of a cup of milk tea are equivalent to an apple, but it does not mean that the nutritional value is equivalent to an apple.

The Truth About Diet: Understanding the Mystery Behind Food Labels by Tim Spector

Even if you add 100% mango puree, it can't be compared with eating mango directly. The official account "Lilac Garden" found through real people that freshly squeezed juice is more likely to raise blood sugar, increase the risk of diabetes, and the loss of nutrients after fruit juice is large.

After juicing and breaking the wall, the free sugars in the juice have long been said to dietary fiber, and they are indulgent in the human intestines, making blood sugar on a roller coaster. Although fruit puree is healthier than jam with a lot of added sugar, liquid fruit is still not as healthy as fresh fruit.

After reading the ingredient list and ingredient list of milk tea for a long time, some people may joke, "It's good to drink milk tea and be happy, why bother with some and not?" ”

There is a reward system in our brain, and when we do something, dopamine is secreted in the brain that makes people happy. Sweets and fats, in particular, can activate the brain's reward system, stimulate dopamine production, and even addiction. This is also the reason why people can't stop drinking milk tea.

However, recent studies have shown that if you drink too much milk tea, you may not be happy. Researchers from Tsinghua University and the Central University of Finance and Economics analyzed the drinking habits of 5,281 college students in mainland China and found that regular consumption of milk tea may lead to addiction and increase the risk of depression and anxiety.

Research on milk tea addiction.

In Why We Love Drinks, the author argues that we love sweet, high-calorie beverages partly because of human instinct, and partly because of the strong marketing behind the drinks.

In the past, carbonated beverage producers were a blissful place to find sweetness, stimulated by intuitive visual advertising to create a symbolic atmosphere. Now it is the tea brand that chases the pleasing sugar and fat mixture, and through the drive of cross-border co-branding, the cup of drink is packaged into a fashion trend, a kind of decoration of urban life.

We love to drink beverages not because the drinks themselves are nutritious, but because the power of marketing confuses people's tongues and hearts. If you are used to drinking milk tea and can no longer tolerate bland water, then look at the nutrition facts list twice before ordering milk tea next time.

Proofreading: Zou Weiyun

Operations: Ono

Typesetting: Shen Zaohui

[1] A new breakthrough in milk base! There is a new choice of raw materials for the "raw" system, China Beverage Express, 20230914

[2] Truth be told, fruit juice is not much healthier than cola, Dr. Lilac

[3] Does drinking milk tea really make you happier? Maybe it will make you more anxious, Shanghai Yangpu, 20231013

[4] If the merchant discloses the formula ingredients, young people will drink more tea? , Nandu Appraisal and Evaluation Laboratory, 20231102

[5] How to drink milk tea more assured The deputies and members called for freshly made drinks to also bring "ID cards", Sichuan Online, 20230305