Study finds boba store drinks contain more sugar than expected

Study finds boba store drinks contain more sugar than expected

2026-04-24

As the birthplace of bubble tea, Taiwan is the kingdom of boba. For many people, a day is not complete without gulping down a delicious and sweet drink. But all this indulgent tea intake has raised concerns about sugar consumption in Taiwan, even for people who adjust their sweetness level to little or no sugar. According to a recent study by NTU’s Institute of Public health, 55.6% of drinks labeled as “sugar-free” still contained detectable sugar levels. Researchers say that’s probably due to artificial sweeteners.

If you order half-sugar, you might want to hear this. The average 700ml drink contains 46.5g of sugar, which is just a few grams away from the WHO recommended daily maximum of 50g. The study also found that the sugar content of the boba was actually higher than the amount listed at the shop. But researchers clarify that the study is not meant to get people to cut off boba from their life. Instead, it’s just intended to let consumers know about their sugar intake, so that they don’t unknowingly consume more sugar than they expect.

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#boba #bubbletea #sugar #health #sugarfree

台大研究揭手搖飲糖量驚人標榜"無糖"仍檢出糖

2026-04-24

台灣被稱為手搖飲王國，不少人喝飲料是日常習慣，就怕喝進去的糖不容小覷，不少人選擇半糖或無糖，但台大公衛所最新研究發現，標榜無糖的飲料，有55.6%檢出糖，因為裡頭可能會添加人工甜味劑。

至於半糖，研究發現，一杯700毫升的半糖手搖飲，平均總糖量為46.5g，逼近WHO每日建議上限50g。85.6%的飲品，實際測得糖量，竟然大於標示的總糖量，研究不是希望民眾跟手搖飲絕交，而是呼籲糖分要標示清楚，別讓大家喝得不明不白。

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Traveler stirs controversy by bringing bottles of Ganges water back from India

A man who traveled to India recently posted a video of himself bringing back two bottles of water from the Ganges River. But the sight of the murky water, already starting to grow algae, drew condemnation from commenters, who accused him of bringing potentially disease-ridden pathogens back to Taiwan. In a response video, the man apologized and promised to bring the water back to the Ganges.

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When visiting the Ganges River in India, this traveler filled two plastic bottles with water to bring back with him. Little did he know he was about to start a firestorm.

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Just seeing these bottles of turbid water is enough to make your skin crawl. Even though the Ganges is a sacred river, it’s also a place where locals wash their clothes, prepare food, and conduct funeral rites. Commenters on the man’s post called on customs or the CDC to intervene.

Hsiang Hsiang
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Last month, I went to India with some friends and filmed travel videos. I heard the locals will bring water from the Ganges back with them for worship, so I thought I’d bring some back to Taiwan to share with my friends. I never thought it would be shared around to all of Taiwan. I’m so sorry! It’s been in Taiwan for a month now and nothing has leaked. Not a drop.

Hsiang Hsiang promised to return the water. An Indian friend also told him that people believe the Ganges holds the souls of the dead, so taking water without permission disrupts their rest. The Ganges has often become a topic of conversation. Once, a Chinese influencer drank a glass of water straight from the river while filming himself. But could bringing two bottles back really cause pollution or spread infectious disease?

Huang Yu-cheng
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If you left a bottle of water from a Taiwanese river sitting for a month, there would definitely be some bacteria in it as well. Drug-resistant bacteria don’t necessarily multiply quickly unless they’re under pressure from antibiotics. So unless those bottles of river water have been fed antibiotics every day, it won’t breed particularly resilient bacteria.

The doctor said that unless it’s cultured intentionally, there isn’t much danger posed by the bottles of river water. But from the look of them, it’s no wonder people are concerned.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Commuters recommend HSR over MRT to travel across Taipei

Most people traveling from Taipei Main Station to Nangang take the MRT. But if you’re in a hurry, some commuters have discovered that it’s 10 minutes faster to take the high-speed rail, and only NT$5 more expensive. They’re encouraging others to changes lines too, saying it’s more than worth it.

Meng Chia-mei
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When traveling from Taipei Main to Nangang, most people take the MRT. But some people have discovered that if you go just across the way and take the HSR instead, it’s faster and only costs NT$5 more.

Member of public
For only a NT$5 difference and getting there a little bit faster, for me, I think it’s OK. Sometimes it’s really crowded on the MRT, but usually, the HSR has passenger limits and people have slightly different destinations.

Member of public
If you can spend only NT$5 more and get there 10 minutes faster, I’d be willing to do it.

The journey from Taipei Main to Nangang on the HSR takes 8 to 9 minutes compared to 19 minutes on the MRT. For just NT$5 more, you can save 10 minutes. It’s also less crowded, and you’ll be sure to get a seat. It seems like a deal that can’t be beat. But if you factor in frequency, during peak hours, there’s only a high-speed train every 5 to 25 minutes, compared to a train every 2 to 2-and-a-half minutes on the MRT. If your timing is off, it wouldn’t be worth it.

Member of public
I think it’s all right for me. But I wouldn’t go out of my way to do it. As long as it’s convenient.

Member of public
The MRT runs more frequently. SoI’d take a look at the schedule first. If the MRT would be faster, I’d choose that.

When choosing between the HSR and MRT, you need to consider ticket price, timing, and train frequency. But some have come up with a compromise. With its more frequent departures and cheaper price than the HSR, plus acceptance of TPass, the Taiwan Railway is also a solid alternative.

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60-year bawan business in Kaohsiung draws crowds with traditional recipe

Bawan, or Taiwanese meatballs, can be prepared in different ways. Some are steamed, some are fried. Now there is a bawan shop with a long history in Qishan, Kaohsiung, where the traditional snack is first steamed and then fried. The result is a texture that is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Every weekend, the shop is packed. Now the family business is run by the third generation as it approaches its 60th year in operation.

The steamed bawan sizzle on the griddle and the translucent skin gradually turns golden and crispy.

When the surface is slightly charred, you can remove it from the griddle, pour two special homemade sauces over it, add some mashed garlic, and voila, it’s ready to serve.

Wu Sheng-hua
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My impression is that my grandfather started selling it around 1968 or 1969, and then my mother and my aunt took over. They worked together for about 20 some years. Now we have been doing it for about 20 years.

This traditional bawan shop is located in Qishan District of Kaohsiung. The outer skin of the bawan is made of tapioca starch, and the filling is made of fresh pork. It’s first steamed and then slowly fried with lard over low heat.

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Because I spend most of my time in the north now, whenever I come back to Qishan, I will come here to get some. I like the skin, which is very chewy but not too hard.

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It’s quite famous and rated highly on the web. It is different from what I have had elsewhere. The skin tastes like it has been fried, and it’s just yummy.

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The recipe has been passed down from 60 years ago, and we keep the tradition going and see if the next generation wants to take over. If they do, then it can continue to be passed down.

In addition to bawan, the pork broth and stir fried vermicelli are also crowd pleasers. The owner Mr. Wu says when his grandfather started the business, it was just a push cart from which he peddled the snack. Now customers descend on their store in droves every weekend. They have certainly come a long way.

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Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
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Formosan macaques stir up trouble on Taitung utility poles

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Formosan macaques have taken over the utility pole. Some sit and chill while others hang on with their hands. Some others weave back and forth through the power lines as if doing tightrope stunts. It’s enough to make anyone nervous.

One of the monkeys balancing on the cable fell right off, seemingly after getting a shock. Sadly, it didn’t survive the fall.

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Some friends and I were checking out our land when we saw the monkeys. I thought they looked so funny, like a free circus show. It was hilarious seeing them on the power lines.

But for pineapple farmers in the area, it was anything but funny. The fruits in the fields became an all-you-can-eat buffet for the macaques.

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The paragon of sages, Confucius has time traveled to the classroom.

He offers words of blessings and tosses snacks to eager students.

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I was really surprised. I didn’t expect the teacher to dress up as Confucius to encourage us.

The Technical and Vocational Education Joint College Entrance Examination will be held this weekend, so Mr. Liu is dressing up as Confucius to wish students well. It’s not the first time Liu has styled himself after a historical or cultural figure. With generative AI, he’s made collectible cards of him as Confucius, Jesus, and the God of Literature, among others.

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I thought since AI makes it look as if I suit those looks, then perhaps I could actually dress up and interact with students in costume. I thought that’d be quite fun.

Liu hopes that students are delighted by the stunt and hopes that they will all ace the college entrance exams.

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This is just a harmless pullback within the overall bullish trend. In addition, the Financial Supervisory Commission has relaxed the cap on ETF holdings of TSMC, which has further boosted the surge in the company’s shares. There are at least eight positive factors going forward. The first one is that prices are now above all the moving averages. It also seems like the US-Iran war could see a ceasefire before May 1. On the S&P 500, the price-to-earnings ratio for tech stocks has compressed to around 22 to 23 times, the lowest valuation in 7 years. If the “Magnificent Seven” of US tech shares continue to make gains, that will further drive Taiwan stocks higher. The US Federal Reserve is set to get a new Chair in May, and I think dovish sentiment will prevail in the market.

The expert is optimistic, saying that there is no need to set a ceiling for the Taiwan stock index in the short term. The market has strong fundamentals, and listed companies, including those in the S&P 500, continue to revise their projected earnings up. One event to watch out for in the future is Computex in June, where Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is once again expected to capture headlines with major announcements. Observers say Taiwan shares could well swell above 40,000 points in May.

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