When Barack Obama was elected U.S. President, I believe everyone thought it would mean some kind of change – whether good or bad.  His first week in office, he fulfilled this expectation, initiating changes in our country’s approach to stem cell research, torture, and auto emissions, among other things.

The beverage industry appears to be headed for change, too.  Maybe it’s the times, or maybe it’s always been this way (and I just didn’t notice before), but it seems like every week I read more and more news about issues either directly or obliquely related to tea.

This week provides a perfect example.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) denied Unilever’s claim that black tea products can focus attention and enhance alertness.  The EFSA’s Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies found that tests submitted as evidence for the alertness claim were either not consistent or not comprehensive, according to a story published on Beveragedaily.com.

Perhaps more remarkable, the last sentence in the story notes that the article under which Unilever’s claim fell has been updated in such a way as to nearly double the number of claims that EFSA will have to assess. So, one can conclude that the EU is getting even tougher on health claims.

(Anyone following the ongoing discussion between the Tea Association of Canada and Health Canada regarding the statements that can be made there about green tea’s antioxidant effect in the blood will agree that the issue of health claims is not just a European concern, either.)

Here at home, Supermarket News reported that 10 industry trade groups banded together to demand that the U.S. government “’modernize our food safety net,’ particularly with regard to imports.”  The article summarizes the demands the groups made in letters to the U.S. Congress, which include more efficient oversight of imports, safety standards for certain types of food, mandatory FDA recalls when the public’s health is at risk, and more.

Who can blame them, considering the beating their members must have taken in the wake of 2008’s melamine, salmonella, and other scares?

Meanwhile, more specifically related to tea, the FDA has raised the ire of some sweet tea-swigging protesters.  This week, a group of people in Binghamton, N.Y., will gather to pour soda and other beverages into the Susquehanna River to boo Governor Paterson’s plans to ease New York’s budget crisis by taxing non-diet soft drinks.  According to an article in the Greater Binghamton Press, the rabble rousers are fans of Arizona Iced Tea.

And all this is to say nothing of the volatility global tea markets continue to see, as they suffer the repercussions of political and economic upheaval around the world.  Over the past year, protesters have organized demonstrations in Sri Lanka and India, and some of their complaints have not yet been resolved.

What does all this mean for the U.S. specialty tea industry? Maybe nothing.  But in my opinion, we should remain calmly alert. Leaders in the business should keep their eyes and ears open for issues that could catch the attention of consumer groups, the media, lobbyists, and others; they should talk to each other and be out ahead of any potential controversy with a well-thought-through response. If change is coming, nobody wants to be caught off-guard.

Nothing at all may change in specialty tea this year.  But if it does, who do you want to be at the helm?

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