A Study of the extent of adulteration in the most commonly used beverage- tea in four major cities of Uttar Pradesh

Tea as a beverage forms an important commodity of the Indian diet. Therefore people consume large quantity of tea which has lead to major malpractices in trading. Adulteration has become rampant to reduce manufacturing costs, sell at higher price or deceive the consumer in some other way and ultimately making higher profits for the retailer. The present study was conducted in four major cities of Uttar Pradesh viz Agra, Allahabad, Meerut and Lucknow to uncover the factors contributing to the adulteration in tea to gauge the health problem faced by the whole population there. The research methodology used is based on both primary and secondary data. The results show that 10.48% of tea available in the market is adulterated in Uttar Pradesh. It was also noticed that adulteration is more common in loose tea with comparison to the branded tea. Pure, unadulterated and safe tea is the consumer's right hence a system of utmost trust between the retailers, and consumers must be developed to achieve it.