Teas not adhering to FSSAI norms cannot be auctioned: Tea Board

Kolkata, Aug 29 (PTI) The Tea Board has said that teas that do not conform to the specifications of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) will be withdrawn from auctions before the sale date.

In a circular, the Board said that as per the Tea (Marketing) Control Order of 2003, no manufacturer shall produce the beverage which does not adhere to FSSAI specifications.

Such crops will be withdrawn from the auctions before the date of sale, it said.

The circular also directed that the seller of such teas shall be required to approach the Board for the destruction of such crops.

Earlier, the board had mandated that 100 per cent of all dust-grade teas manufactured in a calender year will have to be sold through the auction route.

This was done to ensure transparency, boost demand and improve price discovery of quality-compliant teas.

Tea trade bodies like Indian Tea Association (ITA) and Tea Association of India (TAI) had appreciated the move by the board.

According to TAI, dust grades of tea constitute approximately 20 per cent of the total production of North India. PTI dc NN