The flower tea made by the Butterfly Pea flower is blue and purple colors, which became a hot item of many beverage shops. The Department of Health, Taipei City Government went to Chinese medicine banks, tea shops and beverage shops to test the residual pesticides in May and tested 10 products. The result of 6 products does not meet the regulations. The Department of Health also reminded that according to the regulations, the butterfly flower is limited to coloring and should not be consumed directly.
The Department of Health said that a total of 10 products were tested, including 5 from Taiwan, 3 from Thailand and 2 from China. There were 6 products inconsistent with the regulations and the residual pesticides such as Chlorpyrifos, Fipronil, Triazophos, Imidacloprid, Propiconazole and flubendiamide were detected.
The Department of Health reminds consumers that most pesticides are water-soluble and vulnerable to high temperature damage. It is recommended to use the water temperature above 80 °C when brewing tea and the first tea can be drained to avoid the intake of residual pesticides.
In addition, the leaves, pods and flowers of the Butterfly Pea can only be used as natural food coloring. The safety has not been confirmed if you directly consume. Remind operators to apply for safety assessments from the Food and Drug Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, in accordance with the “Non-traditional Food Raw Materials Application Guidelines”.
