Have a glass of Cancer!

On February 16’Th 2012  a regulatory petition was filed  by the Center for Science in the Public Interest regarding the caramel coloring contained in Pepsi and Cola products.  According to the CSPI, Pepsi is bad for you.  Shocker!!  I'm sure that for most of you, while indulging a cold Pepsi you are very aware that it not the best liquid to quench your thirst with, but we all have our guilty pleasures. 

We already know that Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Diet Coke, and Diet Pepsi contain caramel color.  Caramel color is also found in almost every kind of commercially produced food, including: batters, beer, buns, chocolate, cookies, cough drops, spirits and liquor such as brandy, rum, and whisky, coatings, custards, decorations, fillings and toppings, potato chips, dessert mixes, doughnuts, fish and shellfish spreads, frozen desserts, fruit preserves, gravy browning, ice cream, pickles, sauces and dressings, sweets and more.

What is Caramel coloring?  Caramel color or caramel coloring is a water soluble food coloring.  It is made by heating food-grade carbohydrates (such as corn syrup) to high temperatures.  There are four classes of caramel color, differing by the reactants used in their manufacture.  Pepsi and cola products however, use class 4 caramel coloring.  Class 4 uses sulfites and ammonium compounds in its making.  A new chemical analysis of this class has found it contains high levels of 2 and 4-methylimidazole (2-MI/4-MI),  known animal carcinogens.  CSPI also wants the Food and Drug Administration to prohibit the Caramel 3, which is produced with ammonia but not sulfites, is sometimes used in beer, soy sauce, and other foods.

There are Government-led studies have shown this carcinogen to have caused liver, lung, leukemia and thyroid cancer in lab mice and rats  The ABA (American Beverage Association) says caramel color is not a threat to human health "even when it contains minute amounts of 4-MEI [4MI]", and that studies have confirmed this and the FDA has classed caramel color as generally recognized as safe, as have many regulatory bodies worldwide. 

Why is caramel coloring allowed in our food in the first place?  Unlike FD&C dyes, Caramel Color does not require certification. Caramel Color is in the same category as other "natural colorants" such as annatto, beta carotene, beet juice, etc. Therefore, technically speaking, Caramel Color is considered "natural".

Cola and Pepsi may change its labels or we may even be lucky enough to see those types of caramel coloring removed all together.  Regardless, soda still contains high fructose corn syrup, copious amount of sugar, phosphoric acid which leaches calcium from bones and among other things poses a risk to develop obesity, diabetes, weight gain and other health issues.  Sounds like a few good reasons to avoid or at least limit your consumption of soda.