Coke, Pepsi dodge cancer warning label
Manufacturing modified in U.S. but no timeline for changes in this country
The Coca-cola Co. cannot say when Canadian pop drinkers can expect a change to its Coke products even as the cola giant makes a modification in the United States to avoid a cancer warning label on cans sold in California.
Coca-cola and Pepsico Inc. said this week they have changed the way they make the caramel colouring used in their cola products sold in California in response to a state labelling rule that mandates drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens come with a warning label.
Both also said the change to the manufacturing process for the caramel will be rolled out throughout the U.S.
There will be no change to the recipe or to the taste of either company’s cola products, the companies’ trade association said Friday.
Pepsico Canada did not clarify Friday if changes in the manufacturing process in the U.S. will be extended to Canada and if so, by when. A spokeswoman for Coca-cola Refreshments Canada said the change will extend north of the border, but there’s no timeline yet for its Canadian facilities to reduce the levels of the chemical 4-methylimidazole (4MEI), a known animal carcinogen formed during the cooking process to give sodas their distinctive brown colour.
“Right now, this is only for California because only California has this mandate. The intention is to expand the use of the modified caramel beyond California to allow us to streamline and simplify our supply chain, manufacturing and distribution systems. However, our timeline for this effort in North America is still being developed,” spokeswoman Shannon Denny said in a statement.
“There are no timelines for the Canadian market.”
Denny added that changes aren’t required because Coke products meet Canada’s food safety standards.
“All of our products are safe and comply with regulations in every country where we operate. Regulators throughout the world, including Health Canada, have approved the
This product is an artificial colouring that’s made by heating sugar along with ammonia and sulphites. … It’s really an industrial chemical.
Michael Jacobson, CSPI director
use of the caramel colour found in our products.”
The Center for Science in the Public Interest says that’s just not good enough.
The organization, based in Washington with an office in Ottawa, is pressing for an outright ban of the ammonia-sulphite caramel colourings, and last week released test results showing levels of 4-MEI in Coca-cola, Diet Coke, Pepsi and Diet Pepsi exceeded the State of California’s 29-microgram benchmark under its Proposition 65.
That level, associated with a possible lifetime risk of one cancer in 100,000 people, triggers a warning label for products sold in the state under California’s Prop. 65 rules.
The average amount (138 mg) found in a 12-ounce can was 4.8 times greater than California’s 29 mg-per-day limit.
“It’s an unnecessary colour additive. They don’t need to add it all,” CSPI director Michael Jacobson said Friday. “This product is an artificial colouring that’s made by heating sugar along with ammonia and sulphites at a high temperature under high pressure. It’s really an industrial chemical.”
The American Beverage Association, meanwhile, is citing the work of Health Canada to fight against what it calls “CSPI scare tactics.”
“This is nothing more than CSPI scare tactics, and their claims are outrageous. The science simply does not show that 4-MEI in foods or beverages is a threat to human health. In fact, findings of regulatory agencies worldwide, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, European Food Safety Authority and Health Canada, consider caramel colouring safe for use in foods and beverages,” the association said in a statement after CSPI released its test results.