NUTRA NEWS: Enviga ‘calorie burning’ drink a fraud
Coca-Cola and Nestle have come under fire for Enviga, their new carbonated green tea beverage, which they claim burns more calories than it provides. The non-profit food watchdog group, the Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has served notice on the two companies, that it will sue them if they continue to market the drink with the claims of calorie-burning and weight loss.
Enviga contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), an antioxidant that occurs in green tea and caffeine, claimed to speed up metabolism and increase energy use. CSPI says the evidence that Enviga has even a minor effect is weak and inconsistent. It is also concerned with the high level of caffeine, which at 300mg is three times as high as in a standard can of Coke.
The studies behind the claims were short-term and most were paid for by the companies and another green tea company.
The watchdog group has previously petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to tighten its regulations on functional foods and the agency has been criticised by the US government accountability office for failing to protect consumers from misleading claims on such products.
The GMA/FPA, the largest food industry body representing top US manufacturers, though, has opposed governmental regulation of functional foods. The chief science officer Pat Verduin says, œWe believe there is no value in having a separate and distinct regulatory approach for some foods versus others. The most effective means of protecting consumers is to ensure enforcement of existing guidelines.