A Taiwanese bubble tea drink operator in Germany made public on Friday test results that showed the ingredients in its products are safe for consumption, rebutting a media report that the beverage may contain chemicals that could cause cancer.
The results of the tests, conducted by a German government-certified lab, showed the ingredients in the beverage conform to German health regulations, said Lai Ming-ching, owner of Berlin-headquartered teashop chain BoBoQ and Possmei, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of bubble tea drink ingredients.
Lai was rebutting a report published on Aug. 21 by German newspaper Rheinische Post that said the drink contained carcinogenic chemicals such as styrene, acetophenone and brominated substances.
The media report said samples were collected from an unnamed franchise chain in Moenchengladbach, Germany, and tested by RWTH Aachen University and instrument firm Leco Instrumente GmbH.
Der Spiegel, a German news magazine, also ran the report and said most of the materials were imported from Taiwan.
Lai said such negative reports have led to a loss of business in BoBoQ’s 100-plus franchised stores. The company intends to collect evidence and may take legal action against the media outlets that ran “false reports” against BoBoQ’s products, he said.
Taiwan’s representative office in Germany also issued a statement dated Aug. 31, saying food items in Taiwan are monitored under the Act Governing Food Sanitation (食品衛生管理法).
It said that Taiwan carries out regular checks to make sure exported goods comply with the legal requirements of the destination countries.
Meanwhile, on Sept. 2, German radio station Deutschland Radio reported that the tests cited in the Rheinische Post article did not specify examination methods or the amount of cancer-causing substances found in the drink.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
The New Taipei City Government would assist relatives of those killed or injured in last month’s car-ramming incident in Sansia District (三峽) to secure compensation, Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said yesterday, two days after the driver died in a hospital. “The city government will do its best to help the relatives of the car crash incident seek compensation,” Hou said. The mayor also said that the city’s Legal Affairs, Education and Social Welfare departments have established a joint mechanism to “provide coordinated assistance” to victims and their families. Three people were killed and 12 injured when a car plowed into schoolchildren and their