Next time you purchase a latte from a coffee shop in California, your cup of joe might come with a cancer warning.
California keeps a list of chemicals it considers possible causes of cancer. One of them is acrylamide, which is created when coffee beans are roasted, reports Newsweek. A recent lawsuit filed by the nonprofit Council for Education and Research in Toxics alleges that coffee shops in California “failed to provide clear and reasonable warning” that their product could expose people to acrylamide.
Coffee shops aren’t convinced.
“This lawsuit simply confuses consumers and has the potential to make a mockery of Prop 65 cancer warning at a time when the public needs clear and accurate information about health,” Bill Murray, the president and CEO of the National Coffee Association said in a statement.
For some perspective, acrylamide can also be found in potatoes, breakfast cereal, crackers, cookies, and prune juice. It is not always labeled.
California might put a cancer warning on Round-up. For perspective, they literally have a cancer warning outside DisneyLand. ¯_(ツ)_/¯ pic.twitter.com/YVb69aAn4n
— Jeff Donald (@jeffdonald) January 30, 2017
If coffee shops are forced to put up signs advertising the inclusion of acrylamide in their coffee they’ll be in good company. Cancer risk is posted a number of places in California. Acrylamide warnings specifically are posted at a number of fast food restaurants to warm about fries, and a cancer warning is even posted at Disneyland.