California Judge Orders Cancer Warnings On Coffee Products

A California Superior Court judge has ruled in favor of a nonprofit consumer watchdog that is suing Starbucks, Peet’s, and other coffee chains over the presence of the carcinogen acrylamide, formed when coffee is roasted. The judge ruled that coffee sold in the state must carry a cancer warning label because the defendants did not prove that coffee was healthful or that it posed no risk of cancer. One critic of the decision said an acrylamide study on rats by the American Cancer Society used doses equivalent to “1,000 to 10,000 times higher than levels people might be exposed to in foods.” The next phase of the trial will determine if coffee companies are liable for damages to consumers. Plaintiff Council for Education and Research on Toxics (CERT) is seeking $2,500 for every person exposed to acrylamide since 2002.