Green tea: the thirst for truth
The legal team at US food watchdog the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), will meet Coca-Cola and Nestlé this month to thrash out concerns about Enviga - the two firms' 'calorie-burning' green tea drink.
CSPI litigation director Steve Gardner told FIHN: "Their limited studies on selected 18- to 35-year-olds in good health do not substantiate the bold claims they are making in their marketing. Unless they agree to stop making unsubstantiated claims about what Enviga can do, we will sue."
Enviga is being test marketed in several US states ahead of a national launch, he said. "They have agreed to delay plans for the rollout until we meet."
Nestlé and Coca-Cola claim the drink speeds up metabolism and increases energy use, a first for the industry. Nestlé researcher Dr Hilary Green said: "The accumulated body of scientific research shows the ability of green tea's antioxidant EGCG [epigallocatechin gallate] to speed up metabolism and increase energy use, especially when combined with caffeine." Drinking three cans a day resulted in a "noticeable increase" in calorie burning, Green claimed.
- 07 - 09 September, 2008
International Whey Conference, WheyVolution 2008 - 10 - 12 September, 2008
Food & Drink: The Innovation Summit - 07 October, 2008, 8:45 - 16:15
Satiety - The Latest Trend in Weight Management? - 09 October, 2008
Building a Regulatory Strategy for Marketing Food Supplements in europe: The key steps to a successful product launch - 10 - 12 October, 2008
Food for the Brain - 15 October, 2008 - 16:30
The Manufacturers Sporting Challenge
