Carbonated drinks like Coke and Pepsi are reducing one of the carcinogenic chemical - 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MI, which is used as caramel colouring in the drinks in Califonia!
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REUTERS - Coca-Cola Co and PepsiCo Inc are making changes to the production of an ingredient in their namesake colas to avoid the need to label the packages with a cancer warning.
The change will not be noticeable to consumers, according to statements from both companies.
Coke and Pepsi said on Friday that they had asked their suppliers of the caramel coloring in their colas to alter their manufacturing process to meet the requirements of a California ballot initiative aiming to limit people's exposure to toxic chemicals.
"Consumers will notice no difference in our products and have no reason at all for any health concerns," said PepsiCo spokeswoman Gina Anderson in a statement.
The change is meant to reduce the amount of a chemical called 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MI, which in January was added to the list of chemicals covered by California's Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, also known as Proposition 65.
High levels of that chemical have been linked to cancer in animals.
The California statute says that "no person in the course of doing business shall knowingly and intentionally expose any individual to a chemical known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity without first giving a clear and reasonable warning ..."
Coca-Cola spokesman Ben Sheidler said the modification to the manufacturing process will have no effect on the formula, color or taste of Coca-Cola.
Both companies said they started in California, and would expand the use of the reduced 4-MI caramel coloring over time.
Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc said all the caramel color being produced for it meets the new California standard.
Earlier this week, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a U.S. watchdog group, said it found unsafe levels of the chemical in cans of Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Dr Pepper and Whole Foods Markets Inc's 365 Cola.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said at the time it was reviewing the group's petition but stressed that the drinks were still safe. An FDA spokesman said a person would have to drink "well over a thousand cans of soda a day to reach the doses administered in the studies that have shown links to cancer in rodents".
http://sg.news.yahoo.com/coke-pepsi-alter-caramel-color-ingredient-191302113.html
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The article stated that consumers will not notice any difference in their products. Does that mean that the product still contain a high amount of such carcinogen?
Also, this carcinogen seems controversial as the FDA states that a very high amount of consumption is required in order for it to be cancer-causing.
I think they are changing the ingredients to the non carcinogenic type (if I didn't understands wrongly).
ReplyDeleteI was thinking how much is large amounts considered? Imagine kids drinking like 2 or 3 bottles of such beverages a day and if they continue to do so for years, is that considered large amounts?
Regarding the statement "FDA states that a very high amount of consumption is required in order for it to be cancer-causing", I think that it is ambiguous to which how much is considered "high". What we should do is to cut down on the intake.
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