FDA says Canada Dry and Lipton’s green tea is full of something but not healthy nutrition

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued warnings to the makers of Canada Dry ginger ale and Lipton tea for making unsubstantiated nutritional claims about their green tea-flavored beverages.

In the warning letter to Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, the agency stated that the Canada Dry Sparkling Green Tea Ginger Ale of the company incorrectly claimed to be “enhanced” with antioxidants. Since it is a carbonated drink and classified as a snack meal, it must not claim it is fortified with nutrition.

According to FDA regulations, the ingredients in Canada Dry’s product “are not nutrients with recognized antioxidant activity,” states the warning letter.

Lipton, who has also exaggerated their tea’s antioxidant power, additionally suggests that its Lipton Green Tea 100% Naturally Decaffeinated tea bags can lower cholesterol among those at risk for heart disease. According to the FDA, this classifies the tea bag as a drug instead than a beverage.

The FDA has been fighting for years with compainies over claims about health benefits of green tea — including its use as a cancer preventative.

Once considered a small market, nutrient-enriched drinks have grown into a multibillion dollar industry. In recent years, the FDA has started to crac down on companies for overstating the benefits of their products.

Both companies have been given 15 days to respond and to outline there response.