Consumer Watchdog Urges FDA To Ban "Caramel Coloring" In Sodas

The Center for Science in the Public Interest has petitioned the U.S. FDA to ban the “caramel coloring” used in Coca-Cola, Pepsi, and other foods because it contains two cancer-causing chemicals. According to CSPI, the artificial brown coloring used in sodas is nothing like the caramel made at home by melting sugar in a saucepan. It is made under high pressure and temperatures by reacting sugars with ammonia and sulfites. The chemical reactions form 2-methylimidazole and 4 methylimidazole. Government-conducted studies chave shown that the two chemicals cause lung, liver, or thyroid cancer.