March 18, 2004 – Fleminger, Inc., has submitted a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a qualified health claim (QHC) entitled "Green Tea and Reduced Risk of Cancer".  Filed as docket number 2004Q-0083 on March 18, 2004, and subsequently modified with supplement SUP 2, this petition is part of Fleminger's educational program to inform the public of the benefits of drinking green high-antioxidant tea.

The proposed claim would read:

“Daily consumption of 40 ounces of typical green tea containing 710 μg/ml natural (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) may reduce the risk of certain forms of cancer. There is scientific evidence supporting this health claim although the evidence is not conclusive.”

This petition is under comprehensive review by the FDA and posted on the FDA website for public comment. The FDA has scheduled to announce its final decision by October 29, 2004.*

* Due to the FDA's request for more time to process this claim, the decision date has been postponed until January 28, 2005.  For more information, see the October 26 news update.