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Yum, yum, yum… it’s hard to deny just how addictive it is to refuse those gummy chewing pearls in your favourite bubble milk tea. But all that joy might just come to an end as the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration has found several manufactured brands of tapioca pearls (bubble tea pearl) contain maleic acid that might lead kidney cancer. We fear it could be the end of the world for some of you bubble tea addicts.
The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) issued a statement that the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has alerted on the detection of maleic acid, an unapproved food additive, in some food products manufactured in Taiwan. Long term consumption of high amount of maleic acid can cause kidney damage. But don’t hold your gasp for too long as occasional consumption does not impose any significant health risk. (Source)
For precaution purposes, AVA has conducted surveillance on other similar food products from Taiwan to ensure that they do not contain maleic acid. At the same time, they’ve urged consumers either to return the products or discard it.
AVA has found several similar brands of tapioca/starch pearls which contains maleric acid:
“Hong” brand tapioca Starch, manufactured by Kai. & Co. Hong Foods Taiwan
“Redman” brand black tapioca pearl, manufactured by Possmei International Co Ltd
“Sunright” brand indica rice powder, manufactured by Sunright Foods Corporation
“Top 1” brand tapioca pearls, manufactured by Shang Wang
“Tea World” brand tapioca starch balls, manufactured by Grand Chainly Enterprises Co. Ltd.
“Ting Long” brand tapioca pearls, manufactured by Ting Long
“Sun Chi” brand noodles, manufactured by Sun Chi Zhi Mian Chang
“T&M Resources Corp” brand tapioca pearls, manufactured by An Li Si
“Pure Tea” brand white tapioca pearls, manufactured by M/s Taiwan Tapioca Foods Company Ltd (Source)
We can’t totally assure just what the recommend consumption of bubble pearl would not pose any threat to your kidneys, but we reckon that a cup a day could already put you at risk. Opt for other toppings in your bubble tea instead like grass jelly, or skip it altogether. Bubble pearls can in fact contribute to weight gain, so if you’re trying to maintain your weight, cutting out your regular bubble tea will actually do some good to your overall health!
