The Consumers’ Foundation today called on beverage vendors to display what kind of milk they use in their drinks, as a survey showed that about 90 percent do not reveal the brand, and some use a different brand than advertised or include additives.
The foundation conducted a survey of the fresh milk used at 74 hand-shaken drink stores, cafes and breakfast shops between April and May, and revealed the results at a news conference in Taipei.
Only eight shops, or 10.8 percent, showed the brand of milk used on their Web site or menu, foundation chairman Wu Jung-ta (吳榮達) said.
Photo: Tsai Yun-jung, Taipei Times
Some of the shops were even found to have added water to dilute the milk without informing customers, he said.
For example, Truedan (珍煮丹) on its Web site advertises the use of artisan milk, but the foundation found the actual store used the widely available Kuang Chuan milk (光泉乳香世家), Wu said.
Some other stores, including Bobo Labo (料料杯), Corner Kitchen Breakfast (轉角廚房早餐店) and Daily Breakfast (達利早餐店), were found to use concentrated milk from New Zealand in their fresh milk tea, which is imported frozen and then diluted with water, Wu said.
Hwa Da Milk Tea (樺達奶茶) used long-life milk, which often has added sugar and preservatives, he added.
Many shops add powdered milk to their regular milk teas while offering a fresh milk option, Wu said, calling on vendors to clearly indicate what kind is in each drink and the brand used.
Fifty of the stores do not include sugar in their base fresh milk tea, foundation deputy secretary-general Tu Kuan-min (杜冠民) said.
However, seven claimed to have no added sugar while using sweetened milk, and three added honey without informing consumers, Tu said.
The remaining 12 add sugar to their basic fresh milk tea, five of which do not allow adjustment, he added, urging vendors to allow customers the option to adjust sugar levels.
The foundation also surveyed the use of disposable cups.
Only two asked customers if they would use a reusable cup, Wu said, urging authorities to use a system of rewards and punishments to achieve the government’s goal of a 25-percent reduction in disposable cup use by next year.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS