LOS ANGELES – A judge ruled Thursday that Starbucks and other coffee sellers must label coffee sold in California with cancer warnings, according to the Associated Press.
The decision comes after a lawsuit was filed by the nonprofit Council for Education and Research on Toxins that targeted several companies, including Starbucks and 7-Eleven, CNN previously reported.
The lawsuit alleged that the companies “failed to provide clear and reasonable warning” that drinking coffee could expose people to acrylamide, which is created when coffee beans are roasted.
Court documents filed by the nonprofit state that, under Proposition 65, businesses must warn people about the presence of agents that affect health.
The coffee industry claimed that the acrylamide was present, but only in harmless levels. The industry also argued that they should be exempt because the chemical results naturally from the cooking process.
