Overview

• A new consumer notice highlights recurring detections of aluminium and lead in matcha powders, which are ingested whole rather than filtered like regular tea.
• Verbraucherzentrale NRW advises keeping servings modest, with guidance commonly cited as no more than two cups per day or about one gram of powder up to three times daily.
• A viral TikTok showing an influencer receiving a transfusion for iron‑deficiency anemia renewed public concern, though the post’s cause attribution remains unverified.
• Nutrition experts say matcha can reduce iron absorption when consumed near meals and recommend spacing it by one to two hours and pairing plant‑based iron sources with vitamin C.
• The drink’s popularity has surged in German cities, and reporting notes that strong demand has strained supply even as safety guidance has become more prominent.