Beverage made from Camellia sinensis leaves can only be branded as ‘tea’. File.
| Photo Credit: K. Ananthan
The Rooibos Tea, Herbal Tea, or Flower Tea promoted as healthy beverages may soon lose the ‘tea’ tag.
The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued a clarification on December 24, asserting that a beverage qualifies to be called tea only if it is derived from the plant Camellia sinensis.
Tea in granular or dried leafy form has traditionally been processed from leaves plucked from Camellia sinensis across tea plantations, big or small, in India. Plantation workers usually pluck two leaves and a bud – unopened, tender tip of a new shoot – from the branches of the plant.
“It has come to the notice of FSSAI that some Food Business Operators (FBOs) are marketing products that are not obtained from the plant Camellia sinensis under the name ‘Tea’, such as ‘Rooibos Tea’, ‘Herbal Tea’, ‘Flower Tea’, etc.,” the notification read.
Citing standards specified under 2.10.1 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, the FSSAI said tea, including Kangra tea, green tea and instant tea in solid form, shall be exclusively from Camellia sinensis.
The food safety regulatory body also cited subregulation (1) of regulation 5 of the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020, which specifies that every package shall carry the name of the food which indicate the true nature of the food contained in the package, on the front of pack.
“Therefore, the use of the word ‘tea’ directly or indirectly for any other plant-based or herbal infusions or blends not derived from Camellia sinensis is misleading and amounts to misbranding under the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, and the rules or regulations made thereunder,” the FSSAI said.
It further noted that plant-based or herbal infusions or blends, not derived from Camellia sinensis, do not qualify to be named as tea. “Based on the ingredient(s) used, these products may either fall under the scope of proprietary foods (or) Food Safety and Standards (Approval for Non-Specified Food and Food Ingredients) Regulations, 2017,” the FSSAI said.
It directed all FBOs, including e-commerce engaged in manufacturing, packing, marketing, import, or sale of such products, to comply with the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Regulation and refrain from using the term ‘tea’ for any products not derived from Camellia sinensis.
The food safety regulator also requested the Commissioners of Food Safety of all States and Union Territories, as well as the Regional Directors of the FSSAI to ensure strict adherence to the definition of tea and take necessary action in case of non-compliance by FBOs.
Tea bodies have hailed the FSSAI’s clarification.
“This definition of tea will remove a lot of ambiguity from the consumers’ minds, and will also help remove clutter and confusion. Even the United States Food and Drug Administration has recognised tea derived from Camellia Sinensis only as a healthy beverage, not herbal infusions,” Bidyananda Barkakoty, the adviser of the North Eastern Tea Association, told The Hindu on Thursday (December 25, 2025).
Published – December 25, 2025 12:29 pm IST
