Tea beverages

Tea beverages formulated as an inexpensive alternative to milk — whiteners or creamers added to tea. Typically made from vegetable fats, casein, carbohydrates, emulsifiers, and stabilizers, they mimic milk‘s whitening and mouthfeel at lower cost and with longer shelf life. They are available in liquid or powdered (shelf-stable) forms, the powders prized for convenience in catering and vending. The emulsifier-stabilizer system keeps fat droplets dispersed in hot tea without feathering or oiling off. Nutritionally they differ markedly from milk — generally lower in protein and calcium — so labelling must not mislead consumers expecting dairy nutrition.