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Article

1 Apr 2011

Author:
Ecologist [UK]

[PDF] What’s really in your cuppa? A special investigation into the hidden costs of tea, milk and sugar

Each day, millions of us take a small bag, drop it into a cup, pour in boiling water, and add a dash of milk plus a spoonful of sugar...But how many of us have actually wondered what goes into our favourite drink, or where the principal ingredients come from?...We sent Verity Largo to Kenya to investigate life for some of the thousands of estate workers who live on plantations supplying two of our favourite teas – PG Tips and Lipton. Owners of the Kericho plantation, Unilever, and the Dutch research outfit SOMO, paint two very different pictures of conditions at the Rainforest Alliance-certified estate: read our exclusive article to judge for yourself. Sam Campbell reports from Cambodia on the hidden side of the country’s ‘sugar boom’; Tom Levitt reports on why our love affair with milk may not be a good idea...Will McLennan outlines the global costs of both tea and sugar; and Seb Klier...looks at ethical supply chains. [Also refers to Tate & Lyle, Tetley (part of Tata Tea) (part of Tata Group) Khon Kaen Sugar Industry, Phnom Penh Sugar, Koh Kong Sugar, Domino Sugar]