Pepsi works to eliminate caramel chemical

An environmental group said recently that the caramel coloring used in Pepsi soft drinks still contains a carcinogen, even after its rival, Coke, removed the chemical totally.

In March, Purchase-based PepsiCo Inc. and Atlanta-based Coca-Cola Co. both said they would adjust their formulas nationally after California passed a law mandating drinks containing 4-methylimidazole (4-Mel) come with a cancer warning label. The changes were made for drinks sold in California when the law passed.

The chemical can form during the cooking process.

Trace amounts of 4-Mel have not been linked to cancer in humans, according to the Associated Press, which first reported the story.

Watchdog group The Center for Environmental Health found that while Coke products no longer test positive for the chemical, Pepsi products sold outside of California still do.

The American Beverage Association said that California added the coloring to its list of carcinogens with no studies showing that it causes cancer in humans. It noted that the listing was based on a single study in lab mice and rats.

The Food and Drug Administration said a person 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.

Pepsi reported its caramel coloring suppliers are changing their manufacturing process to cut the amount of 4-Mel in its caramel. That process is complete in California and will be finished in February 2014 in the rest of the country, Pepsi reported. Pepsi said it will also remove 4-Mel globally, but did not indicate a timeline.

The company said the FDA and other regulatory agencies around the world consider Pepsi’s caramel coloring safe.

The Center for Environmental Health said it commissioned Eurofins Analystical laboratory in Metairie, La., to test Coke and Pepsi products from California in May and from across the country in June.