In Brief

FDA Will Review New Safety Data on Caramel Coloring

News
By published
A glass of soda with ice in it.
(Image credit: Soda photo via Shutterstock)

The Food and Drug Administration said it plans to study the safety of a compound found in some caramel food coloring, although previous investigations by the agency showed the compound to be safe.

The announcement comes after a Consumer Reports study concluded that levels of the compound, called 4-methylimidazole, found in soda are too high. The compound 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) is a byproduct of the manufacturing process of some types of caramel coloring. [Top 10 Cancer-Fighting Foods]

Still, California requires that any food or beverage that provides more than 29 micrograms of 4-MEI per day carry a cancer warning label. The Consumer Reports study found that some cans of soda purchased in California contained more than this amount.

Follow Rachael Rettner @RachaelRettner. Follow LiveScience @livescience, Facebook & Google+.

Rachael Rettner
Rachael Rettner
Contributor

Rachael is a Live Science contributor, and was a former channel editor and senior writer for Live Science between 2010 and 2022. She has a master's degree in journalism from New York University's Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program. She also holds a B.S. in molecular biology and an M.S. in biology from the University of California, San Diego. Her work has appeared in Scienceline, The Washington Post and Scientific American.