Consumer Reports Tested Boba for Lead — Here’s What They Found

The bubble tea market is booming. According to Fortune Business Insights, the global bubble tea market was valued at $2.63 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $4.78 billion by 2032. Much of that growth is happening in the U.S., with the American market expected to hit $875.56 million by 2032. But if you’re a major bubble tea fan, Consumer Reports wants you to understand how those pearls are made and the risks involved with slurping down a second serving. 

What is bubble tea?

Bubble tea, also known as boba or pearl milk tea, originated in Taiwan in the 1980s. It’s typically made by combining brewed tea, milk or creamer, sweetener, and chewy tapioca pearls made from cassava starch. As Food & Wine previously explained, it got its name, “boba,” because the term is Taiwanese slang for breasts. 

Consumer Reports cited data from IBISWorld indicating there are currently 6,635 bubble tea shops across the U.S. That number is expected to double by 2028.

What did Consumer Reports test and find?

As the drink’s popularity grows, Consumer Reports aimed to determine if there were any warning signs, especially since it’s made with an ingredient known to contain high levels of lead.

“Tapioca is made from cassava, a root vegetable. Recent tests by Consumer Reports found that cassava-containing products sometimes had very high lead levels, so our experts recently ran a small test on boba pearls to see how much lead and other heavy metals they might contain,” the report noted. 

And, thankfully, it was all actually pretty good news. “These levels weren’t so high that we’d tell people to completely avoid bubble tea made with boba,” James E. Rogers, PhD, director of food safety research and testing at Consumer Reports, shared in a statement. 

But, there is a little catch. Rogers continued, “While this wasn’t a comprehensive look at the boba and bubble tea market, the fact that three out of the four boba samples contained more than 50% of our level of concern for lead in one serving is a good reason to treat it as an occasional treat, not an everyday staple.”

Which products were sampled as part of their tests?

According to Consumer Reports, it tested pearls from bubble teas for heavy metals like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. The test included pearls from Gong Cha and Kung Fu Tea, two popular brands, along with two packaged boba products from Trader Joe’s and WuFuYuan. They tested three samples of each product. While lead levels were generally higher and showed some variation among the products, none exceeded Consumer Reports’ “level of concern for lead.” However, as the experts noted, there really is no such thing as a “safe” level of lead.

“It’s hard to avoid being exposed to some lead. It’s found in varying amounts in food, drinking water, soil, and many homes,” Rogers added. “The health risks come from repeated or continuous exposure over time. But small amounts add up and, in the long run, may have health effects. That’s why it’s prudent to minimize your exposure to known sources of lead when you can.”

While there are very few federal limits on lead in foods, as any amount over zero is unsafe, Consumer Reports noted it bases its “level of concern” on the California Proposition 65 maximum allowable dose levels for lead, which is set at 0.5 micrograms of lead per day.

The highest levels of lead were found in the Trader Joe’s Instant Boba Kit, which scored 83% of Consumer Reports’ level of concern for lead, followed by Gong Cha Pearl Milk Tea at 70%, Kung Fu Tea Milk Tea with Boba at 63%, and WuFuYuan Tapioca Pearl, Black Sugar Flavor, at 29%. (Trader Joe’s informed Consumer Reports that it has discontinued selling this product.)