FDA Warns Green Tea Makers About Health Claims
Washington, D.C., United States (AHN) – The Food and Drug Administration has cited the manufacturers of Canada Dry Sparkling Green Tea Ginger Ale and Lipton Green Tea for making unauthorized therapeutic claims about their products.
The agency wants Unilver to correnct claims its makes on its website and packaging for Lipton Green Tea 100% Natural Naturally Decaffeinated.
The company’s website for Lipton Teas ” establish that the product is a drug because it is intended for use in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease,” according to regulators. Sales and marketing of drugs requires a different approval from the FDA.
Unilever’s Lipton website says, “[F]our recent studies in people at risk for coronary disease have shown a significant cholesterol lowering effect from tea or tea flavonoids … One of these studies, on post-menopausal women, found that total cholesterol was lowered by 8% after drinking 8 cups of green tea daily for 12 weeks.”
Regulators also asked the company to correct its product’s label, which says, “packed with protective FLAVONOID ANTIOXIDANTS.” The use of the term “antioxidant” involves different requirements, and the label makes unauthorized nutrient content claims.
The FDA also wrote to Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, the maker of Canada Dry Sparkling Green Tea Ginger Ale.
The agency cited the company for telling consumers their product is “ENHANCED WITH 200 mg OF ANTIOXIDANTS FROM GREEN TEA & VITAMIN C.**” The claim on the packaging has a double asterisk that refers to a statement also on the label, “**Each 8 oz serving contains 200 mg of antioxidants from Green Tea Flavonoids and Vitamin C.”
The companies are not the only ones to receive citations from the FDA. Fleminger Inc. and Redco Foods have also received warning letters about their green tea products. Such letters require a response within 15 days.
Dr. Pepper Snapple Group and Unilever have said they would work with the agency to correct the claims.
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