(Reuters) - Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O) and other coffee sellers must put a cancer warning on coffee sold in California, a Los Angeles judge has ruled, possibly exposing the companies to millions of dollars in fines.
A little-known not-for-profit group sued some 90 coffee retailers, including Starbucks, on grounds they were violating a California law requiring companies to warn consumers of chemicals in their products that could cause cancer.
One of those chemicals is acrylamide, a byproduct of roasting coffee beans that is present in high levels in brewed coffee.
Hell, in California, air could cause cancer. Maybe they could just sell raw beans and roasters - California's now growing coffee beans, so hey - but the panty-twisters would probably sue to require labels on both. According to a statement released by the National Coffee Association:
“Cancer warning labels on coffee would be misleading. The U.S. government’s own Dietary Guidelines state that coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle,” the NCA statement said.
That place, with the exception of non-coastal areas, gets nuttier by the day.
