March 31, 2018
Californication and Prop 65
I have been getting some questions via message about California's inane new law about cancer warnings labels on coffee. I am not a chemist (at all, in fact I work hard to keep up with coffee chemistry) but I can say this with confidence: brew your coffee if you want to consume it, do not eat it whole bean or even ground. Think I am being funny? Check out the FDA link below.
The main chemical that is calling all the clamor is acrylamide. Acrylamide presents in any food cooked at temperature above 240 degrees F, so essentially any food fried, stir-fried, deep-fried, baked, BBQ, and so on.
The only way to avoid acrylamide in food is to eat everything raw or boiled. So no more toast, steaks, pastries and so on...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has compiled data on acrylamide levels in hundreds of commercially available fried, roasted and baked food products — including popular potato chips, cereals, breads, candies, and much more
www.fda.gov/Food/FoodborneIllnessContaminants/ChemicalContaminants/ucm053549.htm
In this chart notice how significantly the levels drop when whole bean coffee or ground coffee is brewed with water. It drops big time. Extrapolation is fun and it all comes down to this secret formula:
**** don't eat your coffee- brew it. ***
And whilst sipping your glorious brewed beverage, remember studies have shown that coffee may have health benefits, including protecting against Parkinson's disease, type 2 diabetes and liver disease, including liver cancer. Coffee also appears to improve cognitive function and decrease the risk of depression.
The Specialty Coffee Association released this statement:
"The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is disappointed to learn of a recent ruling in a California court that may require coffee to carry a cancer warning label.
The vast preponderance of scientific evidence points to coffee consumption as part of a healthy lifestyle, and there is no evidence that coffee is carcinogenic. In fact, the bulk of recent independent studies suggest that coffee may have some role in preventing certain cancers.
For this reason, the American Institute for Cancer Research has recommended that coffee not carry a cancer warning, and the World Health Organization recently stated that there is no reason to consider coffee carcinogenic.
This decision will have a negative effect on consumers who will be confused by cancer labels on a beverage that is known to be part of a healthy diet and on small coffee businesses who will need to navigate the legal complexities of this decision. The SCA is committed to providing support and information on this topic to our members in the coming weeks.
We know many of you have questions about this topic and are answering questions from concerned customers, friends, and family. We will be developing and sharing resources over the next weeks and months, but here are a few things to get you started.
The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICA) has come down decisively on the issue, stating, “Coffee doesn’t need to carry a cancer warning, scientists say it protects from cancer.”
This represents the view of scientists, including those from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health who call the lawsuit “profoundly misguided”.
Finally, on this topic, the National Coffee Association, our respected partner in coffee and health science, has prepared a number of great resources on Proposition 65 link and on acrylamide which we enthusiastically point our members to."