Coca-Cola Co and PepsiCo Inc are changing the way they make the caramel colouring used in their sodas as a result of a California law that mandates drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens bear a cancer warning label.
The Centre for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer advocacy group, in February filed a petition with the US Food and Drug Administration to ban the use of ammonia-sulfite caramel colouring.
Scientists have found that the chemical 4-methylimidazole (otherwise known as 4MI) in large doses can cause cancerous cells to grow in rats and mice in lab tests.
However, in order to get the same dosage used in tests over 1000 cans of the popular beverage would have to be consumed in a day. That's a lot even for the most dedicated cola drinker.
A spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration said the petition is being reviewed.
But he noted that a consumer would have to drink more than 1,000 cans of soda a day to reach the doses administered that have shown links to cancer in rodents.
The new recipe for caramel colouring in the drinks has less 4-methylimidazole - a chemical which California has added to its list of carcinogens.
The change to the recipe has already been introduced in California but will be rolled out across the US.
The companies say changing their recipes across the whole of the US, not just in California, makes the drinks more efficient to manufacture.
A representative for Coca-Cola, Diana Garza-Ciarlante, said the company directed its caramel suppliers to modify their manufacturing processes to reduce the levels of the chemical 4-methylimidazole, which can be formed during the cooking process and as a result may be found in trace amounts in many foods.
"While we believe that there is no public health risk that justifies any such change, we did ask our caramel suppliers to take this step so that our products would not be subject to the requirement of a scientifically unfounded warning," Garza-Ciarlante said in an email.
A spokesperson for Coca-Cola Company told US media "The caramel color in all of our products has been, is and always will be safe."
Spokeswoman Diana Garza-Ciarlante told the Associated Press news agency they wanted to ensure "our products would not be subject to the requirement of a scientifically unfounded warning".
Despite their insistence that the ingredient is safe, Pepsi and Coke say they have begun to change the formulation of their colourings to comply with the law in California. The new formulation will contain lower levels of 4-MI.
The changes will be expanded nationally to streamline their manufacturing processes.
The American Beverage Association noted that California added the colouring to its list of carcinogens with no studies showing that it causes cancer in humans. It noted that the listing was based on a single study in lab mice and rats.
The American Beverage Association, which represents the broader industry, said its member companies will continue to use caramel colouring in certain products but that adjustments were made to meet California's new standard.
"Consumers will notice no difference in our products and have no reason at all for any health concerns," the association said in a statement.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo account for almost 90 per cent of the soda market, according to industry tracker Beverage Digest. A representative for Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc said all its caramel colouring now meet the new California standard.
The companies said the changes will be expanded nationally to streamline their manufacturing processes. The changes have already been made for drinks sold in California.
The Californian process is now being rolled out into the rest of the United States. There have been no announcements as yet with regards to changing the recipe worldwide.
"If companies can make brown food coloring that is carcinogen-free, the industry should do that. Otherwise the FDA needs to protect consumers from this risk by banning the coloring." said the CEO of Center for Science in the Public Interest, Michael Jacobson. He accused Pepsi and Coca-Cola of "needlessly exposing millions of Americans to a chemical that causes cancer."
The Californian regulations were changed after consumer advocacy group Centre for Science in the Public Interest filed a petition at the Food and Drug Administration to ban the use of ammonia-sulfite caramel colouring.
Caramel color is a water soluble food coloring. It is made by a carefully controlled heat treatment of carbohydrates, in general in the presence of acids, alkalis, or salts, in a process called caramelization. It is more fully oxidized than caramel candy and has an odor of burnt sugar and a somewhat bitter taste. Its color ranges from pale yellow to amber to dark brown.
Caramel color is one of the oldest and most widely-used food colorings, and is found in almost every kind of commercially produced food.
California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment requite any produced containing a level of 29 micrograms of 4-MI had to bear a cancer warning label. According to a study by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) the soft drink cans contained levels nearing 140 micrograms in each 12-ounce can.
Health campaigners have long despaired of the popularity of Coca Cola, saying that it contributes widely to obesity and health issues. Each can of Coke contains 9 teaspoons of sugar.
However, in order to get the same dosage used in tests over 1000 cans of the popular beverage would have to be consumed in a day. That's a lot even for the most dedicated cola drinker.
A spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration said the petition is being reviewed.
But he noted that a consumer would have to drink more than 1,000 cans of soda a day to reach the doses administered that have shown links to cancer in rodents.
The new recipe for caramel colouring in the drinks has less 4-methylimidazole - a chemical which California has added to its list of carcinogens.
The change to the recipe has already been introduced in California but will be rolled out across the US.
The companies say changing their recipes across the whole of the US, not just in California, makes the drinks more efficient to manufacture.
A representative for Coca-Cola, Diana Garza-Ciarlante, said the company directed its caramel suppliers to modify their manufacturing processes to reduce the levels of the chemical 4-methylimidazole, which can be formed during the cooking process and as a result may be found in trace amounts in many foods.
"While we believe that there is no public health risk that justifies any such change, we did ask our caramel suppliers to take this step so that our products would not be subject to the requirement of a scientifically unfounded warning," Garza-Ciarlante said in an email.
A spokesperson for Coca-Cola Company told US media "The caramel color in all of our products has been, is and always will be safe."
Spokeswoman Diana Garza-Ciarlante told the Associated Press news agency they wanted to ensure "our products would not be subject to the requirement of a scientifically unfounded warning".
Despite their insistence that the ingredient is safe, Pepsi and Coke say they have begun to change the formulation of their colourings to comply with the law in California. The new formulation will contain lower levels of 4-MI.
The changes will be expanded nationally to streamline their manufacturing processes.
The American Beverage Association noted that California added the colouring to its list of carcinogens with no studies showing that it causes cancer in humans. It noted that the listing was based on a single study in lab mice and rats.
The American Beverage Association, which represents the broader industry, said its member companies will continue to use caramel colouring in certain products but that adjustments were made to meet California's new standard.
"Consumers will notice no difference in our products and have no reason at all for any health concerns," the association said in a statement.
Coca-Cola and PepsiCo account for almost 90 per cent of the soda market, according to industry tracker Beverage Digest. A representative for Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc said all its caramel colouring now meet the new California standard.
The companies said the changes will be expanded nationally to streamline their manufacturing processes. The changes have already been made for drinks sold in California.
The Californian process is now being rolled out into the rest of the United States. There have been no announcements as yet with regards to changing the recipe worldwide.
"If companies can make brown food coloring that is carcinogen-free, the industry should do that. Otherwise the FDA needs to protect consumers from this risk by banning the coloring." said the CEO of Center for Science in the Public Interest, Michael Jacobson. He accused Pepsi and Coca-Cola of "needlessly exposing millions of Americans to a chemical that causes cancer."
The Californian regulations were changed after consumer advocacy group Centre for Science in the Public Interest filed a petition at the Food and Drug Administration to ban the use of ammonia-sulfite caramel colouring.
Caramel color is a water soluble food coloring. It is made by a carefully controlled heat treatment of carbohydrates, in general in the presence of acids, alkalis, or salts, in a process called caramelization. It is more fully oxidized than caramel candy and has an odor of burnt sugar and a somewhat bitter taste. Its color ranges from pale yellow to amber to dark brown.
Caramel color is one of the oldest and most widely-used food colorings, and is found in almost every kind of commercially produced food.
California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment requite any produced containing a level of 29 micrograms of 4-MI had to bear a cancer warning label. According to a study by the Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) the soft drink cans contained levels nearing 140 micrograms in each 12-ounce can.
Health campaigners have long despaired of the popularity of Coca Cola, saying that it contributes widely to obesity and health issues. Each can of Coke contains 9 teaspoons of sugar.
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