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Coca-Cola and Pepsi said they have lowered levels of a chemical in caramel colouring to comply with a California law, but insisted the drinks pose no health risks and recipes will not change.
The move allows the companies to avoid having to label products with a cancer warning due to what the health-conscious US state has ruled are high levels of 4-methylimidazole, which is shown to cause cancer in lab rodents.
Both drinkmakers said their highly-secretive soda recipes will not be altered but that caramel suppliers have been asked to reduce 4-MEI levels in California, a change that will eventually spread across the US.
“We are NOT changing our recipe; or our formula,” Coca-Cola Company spokesman Ben Sheidler said. “We directed our caramel suppliers to make a manufacturing process modification in order to reduce the level of 4-MEI in our caramel.”
For its part, PepsiCo said its beverages ‘are and always will be safe for consumption’. “Consumers will notice no difference in our products and have no reason at all for any health concerns. There is no scientific evidence that 4-MEI in foods and beverages are a threat to human health,” a statement said.
The American Beverage Association added that a person would need to drink 2,900 cans of cola every day for 70 years to reach a risk level similar to the dosing in mice.
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CHECK out the huge selection of Easter Eggs and confectionery at Al Jazira where you will find chocolate treats imported from across the world.
