Starbucks Denies Use of Ephedrine in Tea

Starbucks Corp. released a statement denying that it added the stimulant ephedrine to its tea products without warning consumers.

The Seattle-based coffee company was sued last week in Los Angeles County Superior Court by a group that claimed the chemical was placed in Starbucks’ Tazo Chai Tea product without approval from the Food and Drug Administration.

Starbucks officials said that as a matter of policy it does not comment on pending litigation, but believed it was important for customers to know that ephedrine has never been used as an ingredient in Tazo’s Chai Tea or any other Tazo product.

The suit, filed by the newly formed Berkeley-based Council for Education and Research on Toxics, sought an injunction barring use of the additive. It did not seek cash damages.