Officials from 10 National Standards Bodies (NSBs) representing ten member countries convened in Colombo on Tuesday for the 30th plenary meeting of the International Organization for Standardization’s (ISO) Technical Committee on Tea (ISO TC 34/ SC 8).
Hosted by the Sri Lanka Standards Institution (SLSI) with support from the European Union-funded BESPA-FOOD project and implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), this event marks the first in-person meeting for the ISO TC 34/ SC 8 since the Covid-19 pandemic. The ISO/TC 34/ SC 8 provides member countries around the world the opportunity to discuss new standards related to the tea industry and to improve on existing ones in keeping with the advancements in Research & Development and to understand and cater to the market trends.
Director General / Chief Executive Officer of SLSI, Dr. Siddhika G Senaratne said, “The tea manufacturing industry in Sri Lanka is fully aligned with ISO standards and as a country, we play a pivotal role in ensuring consistent quality and safety across tea-producing nations.”
The ISO meeting focused on crucial discussions and evaluations of various international market parameters for tea production worldwide. T
Some of the specific topics discussed at the annual ISO/TC 34/SC 8 on tea included introducing a method for classifying tea by chemical analysis, exploring the possibility of standardising white tea, introducing a vocabulary for green tea, defining the characteristics of masala chai powder, and introducing terminology for black tea. Revisions to existing standards for instant tea in solid form were also addressed.
UNIDO Senior International Technical Specialist Dr. Jairo Villamil Diaz said, “One of the key pillars of the EU-funded BESPA-FOOD Project in Sri Lanka is to support the development and adoption of international standards for the agri-food sector, enabling the local agri-food value chain to gain access to lucrative markets here and abroad.”
