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NESTEA

NESTEA Iced Tea Lemon Flavour

Name: NESTEA Iced Tea Lemon Flavour
Brand: NESTEA

Use in moderation SafeShelf · review pending

NOVA 4high sugarultra-processedvitamin c fortifiedlow sodiumlactose-freegluten-freenut-freepregnancy-safeenjoy in moderation

Serving

13 g

Pack

400 g

Ingredients

Barcode

8901058869293

Buy on Amazon

01 — Ingredient mix

What’s in the box, ranked from most concerning.

Each ingredient gets a tier from our researched dossier. The list sorts worst-first; the donut summarises the distribution. Tap any ingredient for its full dossier.

Caution · 3 ingredients shown

Caution3 of 6 ingredients

SugarCaution

Nature-Identical (Lemon) flavouring substancesCaution

Stabilizer (466)Caution

Cleared 3▾

~Instant teaCleared

Acidity regulators (330 and 296)Cleared

Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid)E300Cleared

02 — Claims audit

Every label claim, fact-checked.

We treat each claim as a question — does what’s inside back it up? Tap a claim for the reasoning.

3/4

claims fully supported

“Source of Vitamin C”true

Each 13 g serving provides approximately 16 mg of Vitamin C (ascorbic acid), which the label states meets 20% of the daily requirement. FSSAI 'source of' claims require ≥15% RDA per serve; this threshold is met.

“Made with Nilgiri Tea Leaves”true

The ingredient list confirms ~instant tea at 2.0% of the dry powder, and extra information explicitly states the tea is made with Nilgiri leaves. The claim is accurate, though tea is a minor ingredient by weight.

“No Artificial Flavours”misleading

The product contains 'Nature-Identical (Lemon) flavouring substances' — chemically synthesised compounds (primarily d-limonene and citral) that are structurally identical to natural lemon constituents but produced via chemical synthesis. Under current FSSAI regulations, nature-identical flavours are classified separately from 'artificial flavours,' making the claim technically permissible in India. However, the EU abolished the nature-identical category under Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008, treating such synthetic substances as ordinary flavouring substances subject to safety evaluation. Most consumers would reasonably interpret 'no artificial flavours' as meaning no chemically synthesised flavour compounds.

“Makes approx. 30 serves”true

Pack size is 400 g and serving size is 13 g, giving 400 ÷ 13 ≈ 30.8 serves. Extra information also confirms servingsPerPack: 30. The claim is accurate.

03 — The fuller picture

Read the whole thing if a one-line verdict isn’t enough.

What’s in favour, and what’s working against it

In favour

Fortified with Vitamin C — one serve meets ~20% of daily requirement
Contains genuine Nilgiri instant tea (antioxidant polyphenols)
Zero fat and negligible sodium per serve (0.7 mg)
Vegetarian-certified by FSSAI

Working against

Extremely high added sugar — 90.3 g per 100 g dry powder
One serving delivers 22% of daily added-sugar GDA
Contains E466 (CMC) — EFSA flags gut microbiome disruption risk
Chemically synthesised nature-identical lemon flavouring, not a natural extract
Ultra-processed (NOVA 4) despite tea-based marketing
Sodium value of 700 mg/100 g in primary nutrition data appears to be an OCR error (label and raw data show 5.8 mg/100 g)

Who should approach with care

Diabetes — Sucrose is the dominant ingredient; it is rapidly hydrolysed to glucose and fructose, causing sharp postprandial blood-glucose spikes particularly hazardous for individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

Children — Multiple ingredients warrant caution in children: sucrose drives dental caries and excess energy; caffeine from instant tea exceeds age-appropriate limits; citric and malic acids erode developing dental enamel; E466 safety data for young children are insufficient per EFSA; and terpene-based nature-identical flavouring compounds have immature detoxification pathways in young children.

Infants — Infants should not consume caffeinated products including instant tea due to immature caffeine metabolism; additionally, EFSA confirmed that no safety data exist for E466 in infants below 16 weeks of age.

Pregnancy — Instant tea contributes caffeine to total daily intake; EFSA recommends pregnant women stay below 200 mg caffeine per day from all sources to avoid foetal growth restriction.

Lactation — Caffeine from instant tea passes into breast milk and can cause infant irritability and sleep disruption; nursing mothers should moderate consumption.

Heart Disease — High free-sugar intake elevates triglycerides and cardiometabolic risk; caffeine from instant tea can transiently elevate heart rate and blood pressure, and individuals with arrhythmias should seek medical advice.

Hypertension — Excess sugar intake from sugar-sweetened beverages is linked to raised blood pressure in cardiometabolic risk studies cited by WHO; habitual consumption adds to this risk.

Kidney Disease — Excess sugar drives obesity, hypertension, and diabetes — all risk factors for CKD progression; high-dose ascorbic acid may raise urinary oxalate; citric and malic acids alter urinary mineral excretion in patients with impaired renal function.

Liver Disease — EFSA noted liver toxicity signals associated with high catechin concentrations; individuals with pre-existing liver conditions should moderate high-concentration instant tea consumption.

Epilepsy — Caffeine present in instant tea can lower seizure threshold and interact with anti-epileptic medications; individuals with epilepsy should consult their physician.

Ibs — Multiple ingredients may exacerbate IBS: sucrose fermentation in sucrase-isomaltase deficiency; caffeine and tannins stimulating gut motility; manufactured citric acid potentially triggering GI inflammation; E466 altering gut microbiota; and terpene-containing lemon flavouring acting as a GI irritant.

Ibd — E466 (CMC) has been shown in peer-reviewed studies to disrupt the intestinal mucus layer and promote bacterial encroachment into epithelial cells, potentially worsening inflammatory bowel disease; manufactured citric acid may also elicit inflammatory cascades.

Gout — Caffeine from instant tea can promote dehydration and concentrate uric acid; very high doses of ascorbic acid may paradoxically promote uric acid retention in some individuals with gout.

G6pd Deficiency — High-dose ascorbic acid can trigger oxidative haemolysis in individuals with G6PD deficiency; while food-level amounts are generally tolerated, habitual multiple-serve consumption increases cumulative dose.

Other — Individuals with known hypersensitivity to Aspergillus niger mould (used in commercial citric acid production) or to citrus-derived terpene compounds (d-limonene, citral) may experience inflammatory, respiratory, or gastrointestinal reactions.

The full analysis

NESTEA Iced Tea is a popular summer convenience drink, bought mainly for its ease of preparation and refreshing lemon-tea taste. The product is overwhelmingly sugar — added sugar alone accounts for over 90% of the dry powder by weight, and a single serving contributes 22% of an adult's recommended daily added-sugar allowance, meaning three glasses would nearly exhaust the WHO daily limit. While the Vitamin C fortification and genuine Nilgiri tea content are genuine positives, the presence of a chemically synthesised 'nature-identical' lemon flavouring and the E466 stabiliser (carboxymethyl cellulose, flagged by EFSA for gut-microbiome concerns) push this firmly into ultra-processed territory. The single most useful thing a curious consumer should know: this drink is closer to a sweetened flavoured powder than to brewed tea — sugar is the first and dominant ingredient.

FSSAI licence

10012011000168

Manufacturer

Nestlé India Limited

Region

Source

MANUAL

Analysis

Independently researched