May 04, 2025: A shocking investigation by the Sindh Food Authority (SFA) has revealed widespread food adulteration at tea stalls across Karachi, raising urgent concerns about public health in Pakistan’s largest city. According to a report by Dawn News, nearly every tea shop surveyed was found to be serving adulterated milk and chemically-laced tea leaves.
The SFA inspected 127 tea vendors across the city, uncovering that 100% of tea leaf samples and 90% of milk samples were contaminated with hazardous substances. In a country already facing inflation, governance issues, and crumbling infrastructure, the safety of an everyday cup of tea has now come under scrutiny.
The contaminated milk was found to contain a cocktail of harmful substances including detergents, carbonates, salt, sugar, skimmed milk powder, and added water. Some samples contained multiple toxic additives simultaneously, making them dangerous to consume.
Further testing, conducted in partnership with the University of Karachi, revealed that all 110 tea leaf samples were laced with polyphenols—cheap chemical additives used by manufacturers to cut costs at the expense of consumer safety.
This scandal is not the first of its kind. In a previous raid last year, SFA officials discovered a milk production factory in Karachi’s Bhains Colony mixing 750 kilograms of chemicals with water to produce 9,000 liters of synthetic milk.
The revelations underline a deep-rooted failure of regulatory oversight and public health governance. Despite repeated findings, there has been little enforcement or systemic reform to prevent such violations.
As millions unknowingly consume these adulterated beverages daily, experts warn that continued inaction could have severe long-term health consequences for the population.