The Ministry of Health has recalled a fourth batch of bottled tea produced by Philippine manufacturer URC Vietnam after tests confirmed elevated lead levels in the drinks.
According to Thanh Nien, the company, which serves as the local arm of Philippine outfit Universal Robina, was required to pull all bottles of C2 green tea manufactured on January 11 as well as bottles of Rong Do manufactured on January 14 from supermarket and convenience store shelves.
Chief inspector Nguyen Van Nhien from the ministry told media outlets that the most recent test results of the bottled beverages found two batches whose lead contents ranged from 0.21 to 0.46mg/L, well above the legal limit of 0.05mg/L.
Earlier this month, officials from the Vietnam Food Administration (VFA) collected two samples of the bottled teas over internet rumors of the beverages' poor quality, the news outlet reports.
The VFA initially reported lead levels of 0.84mg/L in URC Vietnam's citric acid, an ingredient in the beverages, exceeding the legal limit. However, despite this violation, the administration also claimed that C2 and Rong Do samples were within the legal limits and allowed batches of the beverages to pass into shops and supermarkets, according to Tuoi Tre.
Bottom line: don't drink the tea.
