Aug 18, 2012

Cancer risk: Panel to examine soft drinks


Days after the US mandated that the drinks containing a certain level of carcinogens will have to bear a cancer warning, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has asked its scientific panel to study the content of the beverages in India to see if the same warning is required here as well.

Recently, the state of California added to its list of cancer causing chemicals a commonly used in flavoured soda beverages, mandating containing a certain level of carcinogens bear a cancer warning label.
While the ingredients modifications were made by the beverage companies in the USA caramel colouring using ammonia-sulfite in their sodas after the state of California added ammonia sulfite or 4-MI to its list of known carcinogens. The FSSAI has asked their experts to study the same. “This is a recent warning being put out. The matter has already been referred to the scientific panel of the FSSAI. If panels finds it necessary, we will take action in this regard,” FSSAI chairperson K. Chandramouli said.
The step in the US was taken after a study revealed that the chemical is linked to cancer in mice and rats. However, there is nothing to panic as the US FDA claims that a person will have to drink more than 1,000 cans of the soft drink a day to take in the same dose of the chemical that was given to the animals in the lab test.
Even the beverage powerhouses PepsiCo and Coca-Cola have already declared that they will modify the carmel colouring in their sodas to avoid a cancer warning label that the new California law requires.

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