Caramel by-product in many soft drinks a potential cancer risk

YONKERS, N.Y – In Consumer Reports' recent tests of sodas and other soft drinks, varying levels of 4-methylimidazole (4-MeI), a potentially-carcinogenic chemical by-product of the production of certain types of caramel colour, were found in all of the samples that listed caramel colour as an ingredient.

Caramel colour is used in certain food and beverages as a colouring agent and should not be confused with real caramel. Some types of this artificial colouring contain 4-MeI which has been recognized as a possible human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

Twelve brands of sodas and soft drinks from five manufacturers – including Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and Goya – were tested. The full findings are available online.

"We are concerned about both the levels of 4-MeI we found in many of the soft drinks tested and the variations observed among brands, especially given the widespread consumption of these types of beverages. There is no reason why consumers need to be exposed to this avoidable and unnecessary risk that can stem from colouring food and beverages brown," said Dr Urvashi Rangan, a toxicologist and executive director of the Consumer Reports Food Safety and Sustainability Center.

Consumers Union, the policy and action arm of Consumer Reports, has filed a petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Specifically, it is asking the FDA to:

- Set a standard for limiting the formation of 4-MeI in those caramel colours that contain it (caramel III and IV).

- Require labelling of specific caramel colours in the ingredient lists of food where it is added, so consumers can make informed choices.  Not all caramel colour contains 4-MeI, but consumers have no way of knowing. Europe already requires this type of labelling.

- Bar products from carrying the "natural" label if they contain caramel colours.

To avoid exposure to 4-MeI, Consumer Reports advises consumers to choose soft drinks and other foods that do not list 'caramel colour' or 'artificial colour' on their ingredient list (Photo courtesy of Consumer Reports)

While there are no existing U.S.-wide limits on the amount of caramel colour allowed in food and beverages, products sold in California that would expose consumers to more than 29 micrograms of 4-MeI in a day are supposed to carry a warning label under the state's Proposition 65 law.

Between April and September 2013, Consumer Reports tested 81 cans and bottles of various popular brands of soft drinks purchased in stores in California and the New York metropolitan region. Twenty-nine additional samples were purchased and tested in December 2013.

In its tests, Consumer Reports found that 12-ounce single servings of two products purchased multiple times during an eight-month period in the state of California – Pepsi One and Malta Goya – exceeded 29 micrograms per can or bottle.

After Consumer Reports informed PepsiCo of its test results, the company issued a statAir Foamposite Max