Tea-based health festival begins in Shanghai

The local health authority has begun a tea culture festival to boost public awareness of healthy drinks and reduce the intake of sugar-added beverages.

Along with the festival, a serious of events focusing on healthy diet and drinks, chronic disease prevention and control, mental health, and traditional Chinese medicine-based health care will be launched around the city, organizers including the Shanghai Health Promotion Center and Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday.

Health officials said the rising consumption of sugar-added drinks is one of the major health threats to Chinese people. The annual production of drinks in China grew from 14.9 million tons in 2000 to 181.4 million tons in 2022 and sugar-added drinks account for over 95 percent of the market share.

The overconsumption of such drinks can lead to disease risks and health burdens such as tooth decay, excess weight and obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The nation's diet guidance suggests an adult should drink 1,500 to 1,700 milligrams of water each day and recommend water or tea without sugar.

"The tea festival is a long-term event, which will introduce health-related activities in line with different seasons with haipai (Shanghai style) features to attract more residents, especially young people," said Wang Tong from the Shanghai Health Commission. "Shanghai is one of the biggest tea distribution and importing centers in China, and excellent tea products and culture are spread to all over the nation and world from Shanghai.

"We want to guide residents to drink healthy tea and form a healthy diet and lifestyle through this event," he said. "To make the festival more attractive and useful, an online course on tea-making, knowledge on tea quality judgement, herbal teas, and distinguishing between pure tea and sugar-added tea drinks will be offered."