SINGAPORE — Popular bubble tea franchise KOI Cafe in the Republic has assured that its products are safe.

This follows reports alleging that its sister company in Taiwan, 50 Lan, had used honey containing banned antibiotic tetracycline. 50 Lan is one of the biggest tea beverage chains in Taiwan.

Health authorities in Tainan inspected its outlets yesterday (July 26), after the chain reported the tainted products. 50 Lan said it had received a batch of 2,290 cans of custom-made honey products from a company in Yunlin County earlier this month.

The Yunlin authorities are now investigating the supplier and may impose fines if more contaminated products are found.

KOI Cafe in Singapore said its honey is imported from Taiwan and these have been tested to be safe by the authorities there.

Tetracycline is a common antibiotic used to treat certain diseases. One expert said it can cause side effects, if used incorrectly.

“Tetracycline can affect our bones and teeth growth, so you might find some people with black teeth,” said Assistant Professor Yang Hongshun from the Food Science and Technology Programme at the National University of Singapore. “The second aspect is you might find some kind of allergy in some people. The third aspect is they may develop some kind of antibiotic resistance." CHANNEL NEWSASIA