A BITTER BREW - ILLEGAL CONDITIONS ON ETHICAL TEA ESTATES

For my latest File on 4 producer Sally Chesworth and I headed to the biggest tea-producing region in the world, Assam in Northern India. 

We knew from NGOs that there were concerns about dismal housing and sanitation for tea workers who live in the tea gardens. We didn't know whether we would be able to make the links between gardens breaking the law, and British brands of tea.

But we did. Gardens where houses leak and latrines are broken or don't exist, supplied Harrods, Fortnum & Mason, Taylors of Harrogate - and brands behind the every day cuppa, Unilever (PG Tips), Twinings and Tata (Tetley). You can listen to the programme here.

And you can read more online.

Harrods has taken some of its luxury tea off the shelves in the light of what we found.

The Rainforest Alliance which certifies the gardens we exposed is on the ground checking conditions.