According to the latest reports, Pepsi-Cola was found to be still using a caramel coloring 4-MI, which contains controversial compounds linked to cancer. The appalling revelation was even more so as the manufacturers of this beverage had promised over a year ago to phase out the carcinogenic chemical. This was found in all Pepsi and Coke products except in California.
4-MI, an artificial brown coloring is created by the reaction of corn sugar with sulfites and ammonia under high temperatures and pressures. This produces 4-methylimidazole or 4-MI and 2-methylimidazole. Both of these chemicals have been found to cause cancer of the thyroid, liver and lung in lab mice and rats. It was added to the list of toxic chemicals covered by the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 of California, also known as Proposition 65.
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In March 2012, Pepsi and Coke agreed that they would make changes to the production of the caramel coloring they use in their namesake beverages so that they could avoid the need for labeling packages to carry a cancer warning as per the California ballot initiative. As per the Proposition 65 ballot initiative passed in 1986 by California, consumer products that contain potential cancer-causing ingredients must bear warning labels.
Samples of Pepsi and Coke purchased from California and 10 other states were tested by the Centre for Environmental Health for 4-MI. None of the soda from California was found to contain the chemical. All the Pepsi samples had the chemical and 9 out of 10 Coke drinks had some quantity of this chemical. Michael Green, the executive director of the Center for Environmental Health stated- “Pepsi’s delay is inexplicable”. Pepsi must be urged to take rapid action and provide all of America with the same quality of the product that they are providing California.
Pepsi responded to the findings of the Center for Environmental Health by stating that they would remove 4-MI from the products sold in the rest of US but would do so only by February 2014. Then, it would remove the chemical globally. Regulators in Canada, US and Europe considered the chemical safe, arguing that a human would have to consume well over 1000 cans of their soda each day to be able to match the dosages that were administered to lab rats during studies related to show its links to cancer.
Coke began with modifying its soda for California first so that they would not have to carry a warning label. However, as it does not make sense to have separate inventories, it began using the modified caramel for US states besides California.
Another aspect of the issue is that the removal of 4-MI still does not make soda safe or healthy. No part of soda as a beverage is healthy in any way, even with a safer caramel coloring. In terms of health, drinking soda is unhealthier than smoking in a number of ways. It is only due to the massive marketing campaign from the soda industry that people have accepted soda and made it a part of their everyday lives.
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