Why is herbal tea dosing common?

For Cantonese people, herbal tea is not only a drink, but also a way of life. Recently, the Guangzhou Municipal Market Supervision Bureau released the 7th food safety supervision and sampling inspection information in 2024, showing that a number of herbal tea shops were detected with illegal addition of pharmaceutical ingredients. According to experts, nowadays, the drugs illegally added to herbal tea are diverse, including antipyretic analgesics, antibiotics and hormones, etc., and misdrinking may cause side effects such as heart palpitations and allergies.

The reporter combed and found that in recent years, there have been a number of cases involving the addition of Western medicine to herbal tea in Guangdong. Some people in the industry believe that the low cost of illegal activities and the ability to attract repeat customers are the main reasons why businesses take risks. In addition, in legal practice, the strict requirements for evidence also make it difficult to eradicate illegal additions. Industry insiders believe that the act of adding drugs is more likely to be the self-practice of individual stores. Nowadays, herbal tea shops are facing more and more stringent supervision and spot checks, and consumers do not need to worry too much about whether they will drink medicated herbal tea.

There are various types of drugs that are added to the drug by mistake or have side effects

For Cantonese people, herbal tea is a common drink in life, which has the effect of quenching thirst, reducing fire and dispelling dampness, and is also one of the national intangible cultural heritages. There are specific terms that guide people to drink on a daily basis, with no dosage restrictions and no need for a doctor's guidance. According to the relevant laws and regulations of the mainland, herbal tea belongs to the category of food, and the provisions of the Food Safety Law must be strictly observed, and drugs shall not be added to the food produced and operated. In other words, herbal tea can only be made from pure Chinese herbs, and any act of adding Western medicine or other prohibited substances to the production process is illegal.

In this sampling, the herbal tea of many herbal tea shops was unqualified. Among them, ephedrine was detected in the "throat tea" sampled in the Zengcheng Qiangqiang herbal tea shop in Guangzhou City and the "heat-clearing and detoxification tea" sampled in the Jinli herbal tea shop in Qiaonan Street, Panyu District, Guangzhou City, and the state required that it should not be detected; In the "chrysanthemum sour jujube kernel tea" sampled at Cai Ruiman herbal tea shop in Shawan, Panyu District, Guangzhou City, sennoside A and sennoside B were detected, and the state required that they should not be detected. "The addition of Western medicine to traditional herbal tea seems to have become an unspoken rule in the industry in the past decade." Zhu Danpeng, vice president of the Guangdong Provincial Food Safety and Security Promotion Association, said.

In addition, the types of illegally added drugs in herbal tea are diverse, and Zeng Xiangfu, a traditional Chinese pharmacist in charge of the pharmacy department of Fosun Chancheng Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, introduced that the illegally added drugs in herbal tea not only include antipyretic analgesics such as acetaminophen, but also may involve other ingredients such as antibiotics and hormones. For example, in 2023, an herbal tea shop in Panyu District, Guangzhou, is suspected of adding the drug "acetaminophen" to the "cold tea" produced and sold; In 2019, Guangzhou Baiyun police found Western pharmaceutical ingredients such as dexamethasone acetate, chlorpheniramine maleate, ibuprofen and salicylic acid in finished herbal teas such as "special cold tea" and "special cough tea" sold by an herbal tea shop.

Zeng Xiangfu pointed out that drinking herbal tea with added drugs by mistake may cause several consequences: first, some illegally added drugs will have side effects, "such as ephedrine may cause heart palpitations, insomnia or high blood pressure, sennoside may cause diarrhea and abdominal pain"; Second, drugs will interact, such as consumers are taking other drugs, illegally added drugs may interact with them, affecting the efficacy of drugs or causing adverse reactions; Third, it may cause allergic reactions, "consumers may be allergic to some illegally added drugs, resulting in rashes, breathing difficulties, etc."; In addition, some drugs are addictive and "long-term intake may lead to dependence".

Dosing may face administrative and criminal penalties with a minimum fine of 100,000 yuan

Adding medicines to herbal tea will not only be subject to administrative penalties, but may also be investigated for criminal liability. The Panyu District Market Supervision Bureau pointed out that in terms of administrative punishment, according to Article 123 of the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China, the illegal addition of drugs to food will also be fined at least 100,000 yuan, and the license will be revoked and criminal responsibility will be investigated if the circumstances are serious.

Article 144 of the Criminal Law of the People's Republic of China clearly states that anyone who mixes toxic or harmful non-food raw materials into food produced or sold, or sells food that is knowingly adulterated with toxic or harmful non-food raw materials, may be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment and a fine, depending on the severity of the circumstances.

The reporter combed and found that in recent years, a number of cases involving the addition of Western medicine to herbal tea in Guangdong have been sent for trial, and in most cases, the defendants have been sentenced to criminal punishment for the crime of producing and selling toxic and harmful food, and most of them have been sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of less than one year. For example, in 2022, in the homemade herbal tea sold by an herbal tea shop in Dongguan City, Western medicine ingredients such as chlorpheniramine maleate were illegally added, and the final person in charge, Lu Mouyu, was sentenced to seven months in prison, and Lu Moulin was sentenced to six months in prison with a one-year probation. In addition, the two responsible persons were also sentenced to be banned from engaging in food production and operation management for life, and from serving as food safety management personnel of food production and operation enterprises; In 2018, a herbal tea shop in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, added a variety of Western medicines for cough and colds such as cough Trane capsules to herbal tea. In the end, the defendant Wang was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for one year, and fined 150,000 yuan.

Low cost and repeat business Some businesses take risks

Laws and regulations have such severe penalties for illegal drug addition, why is herbal tea dosing still common? Some industry insiders believe that the low cost and effective way to attract repeat customers are the main reasons why some businesses choose to take risks.

According to the owner of an herbal tea shop surnamed Xu in Nanhai District, Foshan, he has insisted on using Chinese herbal medicine to make herbal tea for 25 years, and resolutely does not add drugs. But he understands the behavior of some herbal tea shops adding drugs, "The effect is fast, you add some medicine at no cost, and it has no taste when you add it, and you can't drink it." He pointed out that this can make the herbal tea more effective, and customers will feel that it is the effect of the herbal tea after drinking it, and then become repeat customers, thereby increasing operating profits. Boss Xu also mentioned that as far as he knows, the medicines generally added to herbal tea are cold medicines, cough medicines and anti-inflammatory drugs that can be bought in ordinary pharmacies, "depending on the customer's symptoms, if the toothache puts some painkillers."

In addition, the threshold for opening an herbal tea shop is relatively low. Boss Xu recalled that when he opened a store more than 20 years ago, he needed to submit the herbal tea prescription to the relevant departments for review, "(the relevant departments) to see which one is allowed to use and which one is not allowed"; However, now the rules for opening an herbal tea shop have been revised. It is reported that herbal tea is classified as food, and the operation of herbal tea needs to obtain a food business license in accordance with the law, and it is not necessary for the operator to have a physician or pharmacist qualification.

In addition, in legal practice, the strict requirements for evidence may be another reason why it is difficult to eradicate illegal additions.

Industry insiders say there is no need to worry too much, random inspections are not carried out regularly, and the punishment is severe

Boss Xu said that the act of adding medicine may be the practice of individual stores, and consumers do not need to worry too much about drinking herbal tea with medicine. "There may have been dosing before, but now the inspection is very strict, and I often come to spot check." According to Boss Xu, the regulatory authorities will conduct regular or irregular sampling inspections, and once signs of drug addition are detected, the business will be notified immediately, and the relevant personnel may face severe punishment.

Boss Xu added that the dosing behavior may be more common in newly opened stores, which do not understand the frequency of spot checks and may have a fluke mentality that can avoid spot checks. Franchised or chain herbal tea shops are generally safer, because their formulas are uniformly provided by the head office: "Once the company is found out, it can't be opened, and if a franchised herbal tea shop is medicated, it is likely to be the store's own behavior." ”

Panyu District Market Supervision Bureau reminds that the "Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" also has strict provisions on the advertising of herbal tea shops, and Article 73 of the law stipulates that the content of food advertisements shall be true and legal, shall not contain false content, and shall not involve disease prevention and treatment functions. Therefore, advertisements for herbal tea shops are not allowed to contain content related to disease prevention and treatment, such as "treating colds" and "treating coughs" in accordance with the law.

Tips:

Three ways to identify whether the herbal tea is medicated

Zeng Xiangfu, a Chinese pharmacist in charge of the pharmacy department of Fosun Chancheng Hospital of Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, suggested:

1. Buy herbal tea from regular channels, the products in these places usually have stricter quality control and are relatively more reliable.

2. After drinking herbal tea, pay attention to whether you have any abnormalities, if you have rapid heartbeat, diarrhea or dizziness, you should stop taking it, and consult a doctor.

3. Look carefully at the packaging or store advertising of herbal teas, which may contain medicinal ingredients if they promise to treat a disease or relieve certain symptoms.

Source: Yangcheng Evening News