Cancer Warnings on Coca-Cola Cans -Forcing Company to Change Coloring Ingredient

Have you ever wondered what makes your daily Coke or Pepsi drink that black color? In my opinion, any drink that has to be COLORED BLACK is because consumers most likely wouldn’t buy the soda drink if they saw what the true color looked like after processing. It seems today that there are so many chemicals put into our everyday soda pop that it is hard to keep track of.  

The latest news is that Coca-Cola is changing their formulation to prevent having to write “CANCER WARNING” on their soda cans. This is all because a carcinogen was found in Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Pepsi and Diet Pepsi which exceeded the state of California’s 29-migrogram benchmark. What’s even more shocking is that while Pepsi and Coca Cola are altering their coloring to avoid having to write cancer warnings, the DRINK WILL REMAIN THE SAME IN CANADA.

This all boils down to the coloring ingredient called 4-methylimadazole, also known as 4-MEI.  4-MEI forms during the roasting, heating or cooling process of any soy sauce, caramel and molasses. Specifically, the caramel colorings Coca-Cola uses contain ammonia sulphite, which produces 4-MEI as a by-product after heating.  

The U.S. Center for Science in the Public Interest was the organization that tested the Coca-Cola drinks and said that 4-MEI posed a danger to those who drink Coca-Cola. They went on to say that it was linked to cancer in animals during testing and exceeds allowable levels in U.S. food supply. Specifically, the average amount (138 micrograms) found in a 12-ounce can was 4.8 times greater than California's 29 microgram-per-day limit.

California’s strict food laws have forced Coca-Cola to adapt to this crisis and reformulate their caramel color. So far they are the only state making this change as it is under the State of California’s Proposition 65 that food products containing a specific level of cancer-causing chemicals must be labelled... it just so happened that 4-MEI was added to the list in 2011.

Global News says that while Coke and Pepsi complied with this law, spokespeople for both companies disagreed that their products are carcinogenic.

 
“The caramel colour in all of our products has been, is and always will be safe. That is fact. I think it’s important to stress to your readers that the 4-MEI levels in our products pose no health or safety risks. They never have,” Garza Ciarlante told Global News.

Also, the Canadian Beverage Association claims that 4-MEI poses no risk to consumers. Specifically, they said that..

“4-MEI is not a threat to human health... Health regulatory agencies around the globe, including Health Canada, confirm that 4-MEI is safe. This is nothing more than another attempt to scare consumers. Our member's priority is the safety of the products they make and their ingredients.”
 

However, if this was the case why is Coca-Cola changing the way they make the caramel coloring used in their cola products sold in California? Also, I just read in the Vancouver Sun that Coca-Cola is going ahead now and changing the manufacturing process for the caramel throughout the entire USA.

I really think you are at risk if you have a soda every single day. This is because the FDA told Reuters that in order to reach the threshold for this carcinogenic food additive that was found in animals, you would have to drink 1000 sodas. Considering that there is ~365 days in a year and some people drink one soda a day, that means you could reach this threshold in just under 3 years!! 

If you really wanted to do something for your health though, just one thing that would make a large impact in your life, I would say to cut out your sodas, sweetened beverages etc., as obesity and diabetes is poses a higher risk overall compared to cancer from the caramel coloring. Eco-Savy is a website dedicated to helping people achieve a more eco-friendly, healthy lifestyle- check it out!You will also loose inches off your waist from that one simple change.

You are what you eat, so become educated on the food and beverage choices you make every day. Also, if you don’t agree with a policy or ingredient in a food product, never hesitate to contact that food company and learn more about it. Also, make them aware of what you as a consumer do and do not want in the food you buy. We all have the power to make a difference, everything counts.

 © new wave ideas -Sara Bonham