California coffee may be labeled a cancer warning

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A non-profit group wants coffee producers, suppliers and retailers to put warnings of carcinogens on their products. The group filed a lawsuit in a Los Angeles court and provided evidence.

The lawsuit alleges that Starbucks and 90 other companies, including retail supermarkets and stores, failed to comply with California law to mark the presence of dangerous substances on their products.

The carcinogen, acrylamide, is found in many cooked foods and is a by-product of coffee roasting. The coffee industry also acknowledges the existence of the substance, but says the benefits of drinking coffee far outweigh the harm.

The lawsuit has been filed since 2010, but it has not received much attention. If the toxic substances Education and Research Committee wins this case, the coffee industry will pay sky-high fines, and a large number of customers will pay attention to the issue.

Lawyers for the committee said the purpose of the lawsuit was to urge the industry to remove acrylamide from coffee.

California's safe drinking Water and toxic substances Enforcement Act, passed in 1986, allows individuals, organizations and lawyers to sue on behalf of California and receive fines. The commission sued potato chip makers, and the industry agreed to pay $3 million in compensation in 2008 and removed acrylamide from its products.