The Tea Board India, on May 19, 2026, issued Corrigendum-II to the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued pursuant to Tea Board Directive No. 01/2026 regarding mandatory testing of imported tea consignments. The corrigendum follows clarifications sought by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) and discussions held in a joint meeting involving FSSAI, Customs, Tea Board and the Department of Commerce on May 12, 2026.
Under the revised framework, all imported tea consignments intended for re-export shall continue to be mandatorily tested by Tea Board India in accordance with the SOP dated February 10, 2026, to ensure quality compliance. However, for consignments meant solely for domestic sale, Customs/FSSAI shall continue drawing random samples under their own risk management system, and such consignments shall not presently be tested by Tea Board India until further clarification or direction is issued by FSSAI.
The corrigendum further amends Point 11 of the SOP by prescribing that the concerned laboratory must upload the test report within five days from the date of receipt of the sample. The directions have been issued to all licensees under the Tea (Distribution and Export) Control Order 2005 for strict compliance.
[Notification No. Tea Council/LC/2014/P-I/408]
