The Tea Egg Incident refers to a 2018 incident in which benzopyrene was detected in tea eggs produced by a small workshop in Leibo County, Liangshan Prefecture, Sichuan Province, at an excessive level. The incident illustrates the prominence of regulatory failures and food safety issues.

First of all, the supervision was ineffective. The environment, equipment and raw materials as well as the production process of the small workshop were not effectively supervised and inspected, leading to the emergence of tea eggs with irregular production and substandard quality. The regulator did not detect and deal with the problem in time, nor did it impose effective penalties and corrective measures on the small workshop, leading to repeated problems.

Secondly, food safety problems are prominent. Benzo(a)pyrene is a carcinogenic substance, long-term intake may cause serious effects on human health, such as cancer. The incident shows that there are still some problems with agricultural products and food safety in China, and that we need to continue to strengthen supervision and strict quality control.

Finally, the tea egg incident also prompts consumers to choose safe food products that are highly reputable, brand-guaranteed and professionally certified when purchasing food and agricultural products to ensure the health and safety of themselves and their families.