The Consumer Protection Forum accused the multinational company Unilever of threatening to stop the investigation into the expiration of the expired tea leaves. A statement issued by the forum states that the company has threatened to stop the action in the case of 32 tonnes of expired CTC tea leaves recovered from the company's processing room in Hetauda.

A joint team of Consumer Interest Protection Forum Nepal, Food Technology and Quality Control Office, Hetauda and local people's representatives had monitored the tea processing centre of Unilever Nepal Limited at Hetauda Sub-metropolis-4 on August 31. During the monitoring, about 920 bags of tea weighing 35 kg were found with an expired expiration date, no expiration date mentioned and marker written label details. The Food Technology and Quality Control Office, Hetauda, ​​has sealed the processing room of the industry and initiated the further investigation, the forum said.

According to Jyoti Bania, central chairperson of the forum, Unilever produces Brook Bond and Red Label brands of tea by processing substandard and expired tea which is not levelled as per the law.