A nationwide volunteer RECALL for a chai tea the product has been established at a Class II risk level by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indicating a “potentially dangerous” problem that could pose health risks to consumers.

Tea manufacturer, My Chai Inc., based in Oregonbegan a nationwide recall initiated by the firm in August due to potential risks arising from recorded pH levels above 4.1 and a lack of production records. Newsweek reached out to My Chai Inc by email outside business hours for comment on Wednesday.

Class II recalls are issued when a product may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse effects health consequences or when the likelihood of serious health consequences is remote.

As stated in an official FDA document entitled “Evaluation and definition of potentially hazardous foods:”

“Decreasing the pH of a food increases the effectiveness of an organic acid as a preservative… The type of organic acid used can dramatically influence the microbiological preservation quality and food safety.

“It is well known that groups of microorganisms have optimum, minimum and maximum pH for growth in food… As with other factors, pH usually interacts with other parameters in food to inhibit growth.

“Phi can interact with factors such as aw (the amount of free water available in food for microbial growth), salt, temperature, redox potential and preservatives to inhibit the growth of viruses and other organisms.

“The pH of food also has a significant impact on the lethality of heat treatment of food. Less heat is required to inactivate. microbes as the pH is lowered.”

Newsweek reached the FDA by email after business hours Wednesday for comment.

Consumers who purchased these products are encouraged to check their packaging for the lot numbers associated with the recall.

The withdrawal details are as follows:

Product Description:

MyChai Chai Original tea concentrate.

The product is packaged in a half gallon plastic (HDPE) bottle, the cap has a foil liner that is induction sealed during the bottling process.

Shelf stable 3 years from date of manufacture.

Ingredients: water, sugar, organic black tea, organic spices, molasses, vanilla extract, citric acid, natural flavors.

Made by: MyChai, Inc. 1110 SE Centennial St. Suite 6, Bend, OR 97702.

Use: Use 1:1 with milk or soy. Until the fall of 2023, expiration dates were two years from the date of manufacture. In the fall of 2023, the expiration dates were extended by an additional year to three years from the date of manufacture.

Product quantity:

19,061 pitchers

Reason for withdrawal:

Acidified Chai tea products are being recalled because the pH was found to be above 4.1 and they do not have a production record.

Withdrawal Number:

F-0106-2025

Code Information:

Batch numbers and expiry dates:

RC080321-MCO 8/3/23 RC110121-MCO 11/1/23 RC120521-MCO 12/5/23 RC020322-MCO 2/3/24 AH050322-MCO 5/2/24 AH029/MCO 06/24/24 AH022- 0612RC MCO 8/11/24 RC122120-MCO 12/21/22 RC012320-MCO 1/22/22 RC111822-MCO 11/17/24 RC112322-MCO 11/22/24 RC120322/2MCO 11/22/24 /8/ 24 RC022023-MCO 2/19/25 RC060123-MCO 5/31/25 RC101923-MCO 110/18/26 RC112823-MCO 11/27/26 RC122023-MCO 212/101923-MCO 214 /27