FDA targets tea health claims again, warns Ten Ren Tea
After recently targeting Rishi Tea for improper use of health claims related to tea, the FDA has now warned Ten Ren Tea about a similar matter. According to a letter sent to the company's CEO, Ten Ren Tea is promoting its products as unapproved drugs on its website and product labels. The company, based in San Francisco, claims that possible health benefits of green tea include a reduction in blood pressure and a decreased risk of suffering from heart attacks and cancer. Those claims are scientifically unsubstantiated according to the FDA. In February 2011, FDA authorized one qualified health claim for green tea: "Drinking green tea may reduce the risk of breast or prostate cancer. FDA does not agree that green tea may reduce that risk because there is very little scientific evidence for the claim."