Calls to Ban Caramel Coloring in Cola Linked to Cancer

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The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a consumer advocacy organization that represents citizen’s interests in food, alcohol, health, and the environment, has filed a regulatory petition claiming that the “caramel coloring” used in Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and other foods is contaminated with two cancer-causing chemicals and should be banned.

The artificial brown coloring in colas is made by reacting sugars with ammonia and sulfites under high pressure and temperatures which results in the formation of chemical byproducts known as 2-methylimidazole (2-MI) and 4 methylimidazole (4-MI).

According to government-conducted studies, both 2-MI and 4-MI are animal carcinogens linked to lung, liver, thyroid cancer or leukemia in laboratory mice or rats.

“Carcinogenic colorings have no place in the food supply, especially considering that their only function is a cosmetic one,” said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson, Ph.D.

Jacobson adds: “The FDA should act quickly to revoke its approval of caramel colorings made with ammonia. It’s a concentrated dark brown mixture of chemicals that simply does not occur in nature. Regular caramel isn’t healthful, but at least it is not tainted with carcinogens.”

The American Beverage Association characterized CSPI’s claim as a “scare tactic” and said there was no evidence that the compounds found in caramel coloring cause cancer in humans.

But California state health officials have added 4 MI to the state’s list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer, noting that popular brands of cola contain about 200 micrograms of 4-MI per 20-ounce bottle, way over the cancer-causing chemicals that must carry warnings labels for containing 4-MI levels of 16 micrograms or higher.

Despite their warning, CSPI says the ten teaspoons of obesity-causing sugars in a non-diet can of soda presents a greater health risk than the ammonia sulfite process caramel. But CSPI maintains that the levels of 4-MI in the tested colas still may be causing thousands of cancers in the U.S. population.

Considering that the purpose of this contaminated caramel coloring is purely cosmetic, says Jacobson, we hope the FDA quickly acts to protect Americans from an unnecessary cancer risk. And the words “caramel coloring” on food labels are misleading, and should not be allowed, says Jacobson.

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