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Coca-Cola and Pepsi are changing the way they make the caramel coloring used in their sodas as a result of a California law mandating that drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens bear a cancer-warning label.
The companies said the changes will be expanded nationally to streamline their manufacturing processes. They changes have already been made for drinks sold in California.
The American Beverage Association, which represents the industry, said its member companies will still use caramel coloring in certain products but adjustments were made to meet California’s new standard.
“Consumers will notice no difference in our products and have no reason at all for any health concerns,” the association said.
A representative for Coca-Cola, Diana Garza Ciarlante, said the company directed its caramel suppliers to modify manufacturing to reduce the levels of the chemical 4-methylimidazole, which can be formed during the cooking process and as a result may be found in trace amounts in many foods.
“While we believe that there is no public health risk that justifies any such change, we did ask our caramel suppliers to take this step,” Garza Ciarlante said.
An FDA spokesman noted that a consumer would have to drink 1,000 cans of soda a day to reach the doses that have shown links to cancer in rodents.