BPW dismisses 'meritless' suit

The soft drinks giants behind controversial calorie-burning drink Enviga said they would "energetically oppose" the lawsuit launched against them by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

Coca-Cola, which is selling the drink along with Nestlé as part of their Beverage Partners Worldwide (BPW) joint venture, said: "CSPI has soundbites. We have sound science. The difference between us and CSPI is that we respect consumers - we believe they can inform themselves and make their own decisions.

"We vigorously dispute CSPI's unsupported allegations and will energetically oppose this meritless lawsuit."

It also rejected claims that Enviga was being marketed as a miracle weight loss product for the overweight. "Enviga is designed to complement, not replace, regular exercise."

A blend of green tea extracts, calcium and caffeine, Enviga is being rolled out across the US ahead of a major TV campaign, which will promote its claims to speed up metabolism and increase energy use: a first for the industry.

However, CSPI litigation director Steve Gardner claimed BPW's claims were false and misleading. "This is a significant entry into the functional beverage market by two multinationals and the only evidence they have is a three-day metabolic study of 31 adults revealing that some of them saw an uplift in calorie burning. They don't have a single long- term study."

He added: "Pressure is building on BPW. Richard Blumenthal [Connecticut attorney general] is also investigating Enviga and he wouldn't waste his time unless he thought there was a case."

Coca-Cola said its research reinforced several previous studies demonstrating the effectiveness of caffeine and EGCG - the bioactive element in green tea - separately.