US regulators said soft drinks from PepsiCo Inc and Coca-Cola Co posed
no cancer risk, contrary to a watchdog group that reported several
popular brands contain high levels of a chemical linked to cancer in
animals.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI)
said it found unsafe levels of a chemical used to make caramel color in
cans of Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc's Dr. Pepper,
and Whole Foods' 365 Cola.
The group asked the Food and Drug
Administration to ban caramel coloring agents that contain the chemical
known as 4-methylimidazole, or 4-MI. This follows a similar plea last
year.
"Coke and Pepsi, with the acquiescence of the FDA, are
needlessly exposing millions of Americans to a chemical that causes
cancer," said CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson. "If companies
can make brown food coloring that is carcinogen-free, the industry
should use that."
The FDA said it is reviewing the group's petition, but that the drinks were still safe.
"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," said Doug Karas, an FDA spokesman, in a statement.
The
cans were all taken from stores in the Washington, DC area, and some
had levels of 4-MI near 140 micrograms in each 12-ounce can, the
watchdog group said. The state of California has a legal limit of 29
micrograms of 4-MI, it added.
However, the group said a bigger
health risk came from high-fructose corn syrup, which is used to sweeten
soda and can contribute to diabetes.
The FDA's limit for 4-MI in
caramel coloring is 250 parts per million (ppm). That caramel would
then be diluted when it is put in soda. The highest levels of 4-MI found
by CSPI were about 0.4 ppm, according to Reuters calculations.
"This
is nothing more than CSPI scare tactics," the American Beverage
Association said in a statement. "In fact, findings of regulatory
agencies worldwide ... consider caramel coloring safe for use in foods
and beverages."
source: http://www.interaksyon.com/article/26125/regulators-clear-coke-pepsi-of-cancer-link
