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Study Connects Cola Dye Ingredient to Cancer
March 8, 2012 at 6:00AM by Zoe Bain | Comment


Could an ingredient found in the dye that provides cola with its traditional brown shade cause cancer? A controversial report released by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says yes.

According to CBS News, the consumer interest group, CSPI, published a report, which linked Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Pepsi, and Diet Pepsi, as well as some other brown-hued sodas to a cancer-causing chemical. The chemical, 4-methylimidazole, more commonly referred to as 4-MI or 4-MEI, has been proven to cause cancer in lab rats and mice. The CSPI has petitioned the FDA to enforce a labeling system that would require sodas that contain the dye ingredient to include a warning informing consumers about cancer risks.

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Despite the CSPI's alarming report, many experts denounced the findings. The FDA and the American Beverage Association were quick to defend the safety of cola products containing the chemical 4-MI. An FDA spokesperson wrote in a statement that the CSPI's petition is being reviewed but that, "a consumer would have to consume 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."

In a similar statement, the American Beverage Association wrote, "This is nothing more than CSPI scare tactics, and their claims are outrageous."

Studies linking 4-MI to cancer in mice promoted California to add it to the state list of carcinogens in 2011. It's now illegal to sell foods and beverages in California that could increase cancer risks by more than 1 case per 100,000 people without a warning label. The CSPI report has the soda levels of 4-MI weighing in at an increased risk of 4.8 cases per 100,000 people.

In related news, National Public Radio's food blog, The Salt, reported that the Coca-Cola Company has decided to modify their caramel-colored soda dye. The decision was based on the addition of the compound 4-MI or 4-MEI to the list of known carcinogens by the state of California in 2011.

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In order to avoid the new labeling law, Coca-Cola asked its caramel suppliers to change the manufacturing process to a low 4-MI formulation, which will meet the California requirements. However, Coca-Cola spokeswoman Dian Garza Ciarlante stated, the original caramel dye "has always been safe." She also noted that California is the only state regulating the consumption of the 4-MI chemical. Despite claims of the chemical's safety, Coke will ultimately begin using the new lower 4-MI caramel dye on a national level. Garza Ciarlante additionally emphasized that the adjustments to the caramel coloring will not alter Coca-Cola products.

What do you think: Should cola drinks containing 4-MI have a cancer warning label?