Coke, Pepsi change to avoid cancer warning

Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. are changing the way they make the caramel coloring used in their sodas as a result of a California law that mandates that drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens bear a cancer warning label.

The companies said the changes will be expanded nationally to streamline their manufacturing processes. They've already been made for sales in California.

Coca-Cola and PepsiCo account for almost 90 percent of the soda market, according to industry tracker Beverage Digest.

The American Beverage Association said its member companies will continue to use caramel coloring in certain products but that adjustments were made to meet California's new standard. "Consumers will notice no difference in our products and have no reason at all for any health concerns," the association said.

Spokeswoman Diana Garza-Ciarlante, said Coca-Cola directed its caramel suppliers to modify their manufacturing processes to reduce the levels of the chemical 4-methylimidazole, which can be formed during the cooking process and as a result may be found in trace amounts in many foods.

"While we believe that there is no public health risk that justifies any such change, we did ask our caramel suppliers to take this step," she said in an email.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest filed a petition with the Food and Drug Administration last month to ban the use of ammonia-sulfite caramel coloring. The petition is under review.

An FDA spokesman noted that a consumer would have to drink more than 1,000 cans of soda a day to reach the doses administered that have shown links to cancer in rodents.