California judge rules that coffee requires cancer warning
Coffee may come with a cancer warning label in California
A California judge said coffee sellers in the state should have to post cancer warnings.
The culprit is a chemical produced in the bean roasting process that is a known carcinogen and has been at the heart of an eight-year legal struggle between a tiny nonprofit group and Big Coffee.
The culprit is a chemical produced in the bean roasting process that is a known carcinogen and has been at the heart of an eight-year legal struggle between a tiny nonprofit group and Big Coffee.
Coffee may come with a cancer warning label in California
A preliminary decision from a California superior court judge in Los Angeles could affect thousands of coffee shops including Starbucks, 7-Eleven and even your local gas station.
The shops may have to put up a warning that tells customers there is a possible cancer risk linked to their morning jolt of java. The court said in a statement Wednesday that the companies "failed to meet their burden of proof on their Alternative Significant Risk Level affirmative defense" and ruled against them.
California keeps a list of chemicals it considers possible causes of cancer. One of them is acrylamide, which is created when coffee beans are roasted. The chemical stays in the coffee you drink in what the court called a "high amount."
A lawsuit first filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2010 by the nonprofit Council for Education and Research on Toxics targeted several companies that make or sell coffee. The suit asked for damages and a label to warn consumers.
Is coffee healthy?
Is coffee healthy?
"It's not a final decision yet, but I do think this is big news, and I'm much relieved after eight years of work on this," said attorney Raphael Metzger. "It's a good day for public health."
The shops may have to put up a warning that tells customers there is a possible cancer risk linked to their morning jolt of java. The court said in a statement Wednesday that the companies "failed to meet their burden of proof on their Alternative Significant Risk Level affirmative defense" and ruled against them.
California keeps a list of chemicals it considers possible causes of cancer. One of them is acrylamide, which is created when coffee beans are roasted. The chemical stays in the coffee you drink in what the court called a "high amount."
A lawsuit first filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2010 by the nonprofit Council for Education and Research on Toxics targeted several companies that make or sell coffee. The suit asked for damages and a label to warn consumers.
Is coffee healthy?
Is coffee healthy?
"It's not a final decision yet, but I do think this is big news, and I'm much relieved after eight years of work on this," said attorney Raphael Metzger. "It's a good day for public health."
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