BC Business
Coke tweaks recipe | BCBusinessCoca-Cola and Pepsi are altering their colouring to avoid a cancer label in California.
The most popular sodas in the world are tweaking their recipe to avoid a damaging cancer label in the U.S. Coca-Cola and Pepsi are cutthroat rivals in the beverage biz, but for once the two companies are facing the same caramel-coloured problem. The soda companies were in danger of being slapped with a cancer label on their drinks because their beverages contain a chemical called 4-methylimidazole (4-MI) in the colouring formula. The Center for Science in the Public Interest asserts 4-MI is carcinogenic.
Coca-Cola and Pepsi are cutthroat rivals in the beverage biz, but for once the two companies are facing the same caramel-coloured problem. The soda companies were in danger of being slapped with a cancer label on their drinks because their beverages contain a chemical called 4-methylimidazole (4-MI) in the colouring formula. The Center for Science in the Public Interest asserts 4-MI is carcinogenic. California agreed and added 4-MI to its list of cancer-causing chemicals. The move forces any companies with products containing the compound to carry a label warning buyers of the cancer risk – something akin to the giant warning labels on packs of Canadian cigarettes. To avoid the damaging label on their products, Coke and Pepsi both tweaked their colouring formulas to lower the amounts of 4-MI. The rivals also expect to take the change from just California to the rest of the States. However, the new soda formula may not make it across the border to the Great White North. That is, unless Canada decides to follow California’s lead.