Coffee in California could soon come with cancer warning: report

Coffee shops in California may soon be required to post notices warning customers that drinking the beverage could come with a cancer risk. 

CNN reported Wednesday that a number of companies that sell coffee, most recently 7-Eleven, have settled in a lawsuit first brought in 2010 arguing that businesses have failed to notify customers of the presence of a chemical in coffee that can possibly lead to cancer.

That chemical, acrylamide, is created when coffee beans are roasted, and “scientists have not found good ways to reduce acrylamide formation in coffee,” according to the American Cancer Society.

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The California Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, also known as Proposition 65, requires businesses to provide clear warnings to customers about the presence of chemicals that may negatively impact health.

The lawsuit, filed by the Council for Education and Research on Toxics (CERT), argues that businesses that sell coffee in California have failed to provide that warning.

While several companies have already agreed to do so as part of their settlements, companies that have not settled would be forced to post such notices if a judge finds that they are in violation of Proposition 65.

Raphael Metzger, an attorney representing CERT in the case, told CNN that mediation with the companies that have not settled in the lawsuit is scheduled for Feb. 8. 

Bill Murray, the president and CEO of the National Coffee Association, told CNN in a statement that coffee is not harmful and that requiring businesses to warn about the presence of acrylamide would only confuse consumers.

“Coffee has been shown, over and over again, to be a healthy beverage. The U.S. Government’s own Dietary Guidelines state that coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle,” he said. “This lawsuit simply confuses consumers, and has the potential to make a mockery of Prop 65 cancer warning at a time when the public needs clear and accurate information about health.”