FDA cautions green tea beverage makers on health claims
The Food and Drug Administration has issued stern warnings to two large beverage manufacturers for making unsubstantiated health claims about their green tea drinks. Canada Dry Sparking Green Tea Ginger Ale, owned by Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, and Unilever's Lipton Green Tea drinks were found to make claims that do not follow agency's guidelines. Food processors increasingly have been adding vitamins and nutrients to their products to make them more appealing to health-conscious consumers. However, the FDA considers that the soft drinks, categorized as food snacks, do not meet federal requirements to claim antioxidant or disease-preventing properties. The FDA generally endorses health claims on foods only after government researchers have verified that the products help prevent actual disease.