A handful of diet or "detox" teas have been pulled from supermarket shelves following a Consumer NZ investigation.
Consumer NZ found that a selection of teas sold by the company Healtheries, owned by Vitaco Health, contained senna, a source of sennosides, a medicine used to treat constipation, which can only be sold in pharmacies.
Companies selling products that contain senna need consent from Medsafe. However, Healtheries' "Naturally Slim Lemon Tea", "Naturally Slim Superfruit Acai and Blueberry Tea", and "Herbalax Senna Peppermint Tea" teas were found to have no approval.
Senna Klenz, another brand of tea promoted as a detox tea and sold at health food stores, and a senna "teatox" advertised by influencer and personal trainer Sera Lilly on her website fat2fitnz.co.nz, were also found to contain the ingredient and not have approval from Medsafe.
Countdown and Foodstuffs, the owner of the New World and Pak'nSave brands, have now removed the teas from their shelves.