Is Carmel Coloring is Soda causing cancer?

Probably. But of course, the soda industry is rejecting the claim... however, CNN reports that this week the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a nonprofit Washington-based watchdog group on nutrition and food safety, is pushing (again) for the FDA to look into the chemicals (or "carmel coloring") in cola that turns it brown. Evidently, the coloring produced by an ammonia or ammonia-sulfite process contains 2-methylimidazole (2-MI) and 4-methylimidazole (4-MI)... chemicals that have been found to be carcinogens in animals. Although there are no tests as of yet as to how this affects humans... "animal studies linking 4-MI to cancer in lab mice and rats prompted the state of California to officially list 4-MI as a carcinogen on January 7, 2011, under California’s Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986" (as noted in the article on CNN.com). Recently the CSPI found samples of Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Pepsi and Diet Pepsi to contain more than the allotted 29 milligrams of 4-MI per day under Proposition 65.

What do you think? Is caramel coloring causing cancer? I'll tell you what, if it is, the soft drink industry is sure going to fight long and hard to keep that information from us. Click Here to Read More About it in the Article