The milk tea you drink may not be real milk? Which milk tea brands still use the disliked non-dairy creamer?

Are milk teas on the market still using non-dairy creamer? The health-conscious Mo Yogurt, which has an average price of around RMB 30, was exposed to use non-dairy creamer, which has attracted great attention. After experiencing continuous controversy, on August 4, Mo Yogurt issued a statement saying that starting from August, milk shake products in stores nationwide will use a new milk base that does not contain non-dairy creamer, and will recall products that have already been sold. Not only Mo Yogurt, but Bawang Tea Princess also announced the launch of a base material that does not contain creamer and non-dairy creamer, replacing the raw material that was previously suspected to be non-dairy creamer.

The incidents of Mo Yogurt and Bawang Cha Ji also triggered another discussion among consumers about non-dairy creamer. Consumer Reports noted that on social media platforms, many consumers posted that creamers and non-dairy creamers abandoned by Mo Yogurt and Bawang Cha Ji still exist in many milk tea products, and the phenomenon of no milk in milk tea is quite common. Moreover, many of these products cost more than 10 to 20 yuan, which is a problem of high price and low quality. In response to this, our reporter conducted online and offline research on mainstream milk tea brands on the market.

Figure | Consumers discuss non-dairy milk tea on social media

Survey: Which milk tea brands are still using non-dairy creamer?

It has just entered the beginning of autumn. Have you received your first cup of milk tea in autumn? Is there really milk in the milk tea you drink? For this question, through the investigation of reporters, the answer is no.

Picture | Source: reporter's offline survey

The above survey found that brands such as Chabaidao, Yidiandian, Yihetang, Shanghai Auntie, COCO and Guming can openly admit that milk is not added to the milk tea series in their stores, but non-dairy creamer. The prices of these products are generally above 11 yuan, and many products are priced at more than 15 yuan.

Image | Official ordering procedure from Nayuki's Tea

This has been confirmed by previous tests by authoritative departments. In September last year, the Guangxi Consumer Council conducted a comparative test on freshly made milk tea products. The results showed that among 30 milk tea products, 10 milk teas from brands such as Shuyi Shaoxiancao, CoCo, and Yidiandian had zero protein content, indicating that these milk teas did not contain milk, but may have used creamer or non-dairy creamer. At the same time, some of these 10 milk teas were priced at 12-17 yuan.

However, there are still a few brands that claim that the raw material of their milk tea series is milk, but many consumers responded that the raw material is not milk at all, but non-dairy creamer. In particular, many people with lactose intolerance did not react at all. In addition, during the survey, the responses of stores of different brands were different. Some employees who had worked in stores also spoke out that the raw material of milk tea was not milk. In such a situation, consumers are gradually willing to accept the fact that non-dairy creamer is added to the raw materials of milk tea, rather than openly admitting it. Consumers are unwilling to pay for deception, believing that the inconsistency between the store's claims and the actual product violates their right to know.

The intuitive feelings of people with lactose intolerance

The reporter also found that some consumers had diarrhea, bloating, nausea, etc. after drinking milk tea. After excluding quality and hygiene issues, they were found to be lactose intolerant. It is also because of this group of people that this survey can be conducted without multi-brand testing. If you want to drink milk tea with milk as the raw material, then the reaction of lactose intolerant people is the fastest and most direct. Lactose intolerance is actually lactase deficiency. After drinking milk, it cannot be completely decomposed and absorbed by the human body, resulting in absorption obstruction of milk entering the stomach and intestines. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal distension, hyperactive bowel sounds, intestinal colic, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting will occur, which can lead to dehydration, acidosis and other hazards. Some patients have weakened intestinal motility and constipation. In serious cases, medical treatment is needed in time. For consumers who are lactose intolerant, milk tea made from non-dairy creamer will not cause symptoms of intolerance when drinking it. Of course, whether the raw material is milk or non-dairy creamer, you need to pay attention to the frequency of drinking, and you cannot consume it in large quantities for a long time, and reduce the intake of non-dairy creamer. And pay attention to the amount of consumption or build tolerance first, and drink it on a full stomach, because lactose intolerance will make lactose intolerance worse if you eat any dairy products on an empty stomach. Consumers with lactose intolerance must pay attention to the above points and try to reduce the symptoms of intolerance after consuming lactose.

Figure | Consumers discuss lactose intolerance on social media

Previously, Liu Shaowei, director of the Shanghai Food Safety Research Association, told the media that non-dairy creamer has the advantages of good stability, good dispersibility, flavor and fat enhancement, convenient storage and transportation, good processability, and low price. However, it also brings high calories, which is difficult to be absorbed and metabolized by the body, and easily causes fat accumulation and weight gain. At the same time, some non-dairy creamers use hydrogenation technology to produce trans fatty acids. Eating a large amount of non-dairy creamer can easily cause memory loss and increase the incidence of Alzheimer's disease; eating a large amount of non-dairy creamer by teenagers can easily affect the development of the central nervous system and inhibit the synthesis of the prostate. Although non-dairy creamer is harmful to the body, the toxicity cannot be discussed without measuring, so milk tea drinks should be avoided as much as possible to avoid high-frequency drinking to cause physical diseases. This reporter learned that some people who are lactose intolerant have relatively more cases of intolerance after drinking Heytea's milk series, Nayuki's tea milk tea series of duck shit fragrant pearl milk tea, Bawang Chaji's Boya Juexian and Qingqing Nuoshan. This further proves that milk is added to the raw materials of milk tea in these brands, and consumers can buy milk tea with milk added to the raw materials for more than ten yuan. Of course, there are also milk teas with an average price of about 20 to 30 yuan, which should be subject to higher standards of quality.

Facing consumers’ demands for quality and health

The "2022 New Tea Drink Research Report" released by CCFA shows that the market size of new tea drinks is expected to recover to 145 billion yuan in 2023, and is expected to exceed 250 billion yuan by 2028. Due to its unique positioning, the milk tea market has become a new force in the fast-moving consumer goods market. While the market size is growing, with the changes in people's healthy diet and lifestyle, more and more young people are beginning to pay attention to nutrition and health requirements, and the demand for quality milk tea is also increasing. Milk tea consumers are more concerned about the quality and price being proportional, and they are more concerned about their right to know the real ingredients of the product. The continued popularity of the jasmine yogurt incident also proves this trend again. In this context, consumers are more willing to choose some high-quality products without non-dairy creamer. Many brands are also upgrading their formulas and gradually abandoning non-dairy creamer to facilitate consumers to have better choices. Consumers hope to buy products that are worth the money and worth more. Merchants should also achieve high prices and high quality, face up to the demands of consumers, and be responsible for every consumer.