Bubble Tea’s Hidden Hazard: Every Tapioca Pearl Contained Lead, and Three of Four Samples Reached Half the Lead Level of Concern
Consumer Reports tested tapioca pearls from Gong Cha, Kung Fu Tea, Trader Joe’s Instant Boba Kit, and WuFuYuan. Every sample contained lead. Three of the four samples carried more than half of CR’s lead level of concern for a single serving, though none exceeded the threshold that would require completely avoiding bubble tea. “These levels weren’t so high that we’d tell people to completely avoid bubble tea,” said James E. Rogers, PhD, CR’s director of food safety research and testing. CR described the findings as a cautionary signal, not a blanket warning against the drink.
In This Article:
What Bubble Tea Is and How Lead Can Enter It
Bubble tea originated in Taiwan in the 1980s and is typically made with tea, milk or creamer, sweetener, and tapioca pearls. The pearls are made from cassava, a root vegetable. Lead is naturally found in the Earth’s crust, and many soils around the world are contaminated with lead. Cassava-based foods can absorb heavy metals as they grow. Because cassava-based products can carry lead, Consumer Reports also tested the pearls themselves.
The Tests and What They Found
CR tested pearls from Gong Cha and Kung Fu Tea, and two packaged boba products from Trader Joe’s and WuFuYuan. All samples contained lead; none exceeded CR’s level of concern for lead in a single serving. The tests found no harmful levels of arsenic, cadmium, or mercury in a single serving. “These levels weren’t so high that we’d tell people to completely avoid bubble tea,” said James E. Rogers, PhD, CR’s director of food safety research and testing. Three of the four samples contained more than 50% of CR’s lead level of concern in a single serving, a finding CR says should prompt moderation.
What This Means for Consumers and Brands
Lead exposure comes from many sources; the health risks come with repeated or long-term exposure, as small amounts accumulate over time. CR notes that some cassava-based products exceeded the lead level of concern, so bubble tea isn’t the only or even the worst source of exposure among cassava products. Trader Joe’s has discontinued its Instant Boba Kit following CR’s findings. WuFuYuan says it tests for lead with an accredited lab and has implemented stricter quality-control standards; Gong Cha and Kung Fu Tea did not respond to CR’s request for comment.
