Starbucks, Tazo Sued Over Unlabeled Ephedrine in Chai

LOS ANGELES--Starbucks and Tazo Tea Co. are under fire for allegedly adding ephedrine to their Tazo Chai Tea, and not labeling the ingredient. Ephedrine is a group of alkaloids that occur naturally in the Chinese herb ephedra, also known as ma huang, and can be synthetically manufactured.

A lawsuit filed Sept. 6 in Los Angeles Superior Court by the Council for Education and Research on Toxics stated that Starbucks has sold Tazo Chai Tea containing ephedrine since at least 1996, and that the ingredient was not disclosed. According to a story posted on www.channel2000.com, the lawsuit stated "Defendants have exposed countless unsuspecting persons within the state of California who purchased and consumed `Tazo Chai Tea' to ephedrine." The story added that the group wanted a restraining order against Starbucks from selling the tea and to return all profits from previous sales.

In a written statement, Starbucks and Tazo stated that the companies had not seen the complaint and do not comment on pending litigation. "However, [we] believe it is important to confirm for our customers that ephedrine has never been used as an ingredient in Tazo's Chai Tea or any other Tazo product," it stated. "We have tested Chai Tea for the presence of ephedrine and the results have been conclusively negative. There is no basis for the claims raised by the plaintiff and we intend to vigorously defend the lawsuit."