Soon, the coffee you buy in California will come with a cancer warning.
A judge ruled Thursday that coffee sellers like Starbucks will have to put a warning on their products due to a chemical used in the roasting process that may cause cancer, reports ABC News.
A nonprofit group sued several companies that sell coffee, including Starbucks and 7-Eleven, in 2010.
From the lawsuit:
“Chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and reproductive toxicity, including acrylamide, are present in coffee, baked goods, and other food or beverages sold here. Acrylamide is not added to our products, but results from cooking, such as when coffee beans are roasted or baked goods are baked. As a result, acrylamide is present in our brewed coffee…”
About 90 companies involved in the lawsuit said that the chemical is used, but that it’s harmless and is outweighed by the benefits of drinking a cup of coffee. The judge ruled that their argument failed to show that the threat from the chemical was insignificant.
No word on when companies will be required to start displaying the labels.
