Recent California ruling says sellers, including Starbucks, must include cancer warning on labels.
SAGINAW, MI — Most consumers would say a cup of coffee is the main ingredient that helps them start the morning off right.
A recent California judge’s ruling, however, calls on coffee sellers to warn consumers about an ingredient found in coffee linked to cancer.
The ruling wouldn’t impact coffee roasters’ business in the other 49 states, but it could force big companies, like Starbucks, to simply include the cancer warning on all of their coffee bags to prevent them from creating a separate label for California.
Michigan coffee businesses shared a similar sentiment when asked about the ruling: California is overreaching.
“There’s so many counter opinions and counter statistics that say coffee is good for you,” said Dawn Goodrow, owner of Dawn of a New Day Coffee House in Saginaw. “So, I guess they would need to add that this could cause cancer. Are they going to start stamping it on every fat food and every other type of food that’s not good for you?”
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle ruled in favor of The Council for Education and Research on Toxics, a non-profit organization that sued Starbucks and 90 other coffee companies under a state law that requires warnings on a wide range of chemicals that can cause cancer.
The non-profit is arguing that coffee should have a visible warning label informing customers about acrylamide, a carcinogen found in coffee.
“That specific carcinogen is a by product — yes — but the amounts that are found in coffee is like the smallest amount,” said Andrew Heppner, owner of Bay City-based Populace Coffee. “That by-product is found in multiple other foods. Potato chips, french fries — things like that.
“I guess until McDonald’s has a label on every one of their fry boxes, then I guess we would follow suit, but we’re not going to lead the charge telling everybody that our coffee is the same as cigarettes.”
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The National Coffee Association argues that coffee is linked to health benefits such as liver disease prevention, longevity and sharper memory.
The Council for Education and Research on Toxics won a lawsuit against fast food giants, including McDonald’s and Burger King, in 2002 that requires fast food companies in California to warn consumers of acrylamide found in french fries.
Heppner said if a mandate like the one in California made its way to Michigan, it could hurt business.
Goodrow, with Dawn of a New Day, felt it wouldn’t deter business anymore than other products that are considered “not good for you.”
