Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle on Wednesday ordered Starbucks and 90 other coffee retailers to warn consumers of carcinogens in their products.
In a suit filed by nonprofits, Berle said the companies are currently violating California law by not warning consumers of acrylamide, a carcinogen produced by roasting coffee beans. In his opinion, the coffee companies had failed to prove that the risk to consumers was insignificant, even if coffee is considered beneficial to consumers' health.
High levels of acrylamide have been found in brewed coffee.
The National Coffee Association (NCA) responded, "Cancer warning labels on coffee would be misleading. The US government’s own Dietary Guidelines state that coffee can be part of a healthy lifestyle."
NCA President and CEO William Murray said, "Coffee has been shown, over and over again, to be a healthy beverage. This lawsuit has made a mockery of Prop. 65, has confused consumers and does nothing to improve public health."
The suit was first filed in 2010, by the Council for Education and Research on Toxics (CERT). CERT demanded a fine of $2,500 per person for each exposure to toxins since 2002. In their opinion, since acrylamide is considered a carcinogen under California law, coffee sellers were under obligation to use warning labels.
It is not yet clear how much the coffee sellers will be expected to pay in fines.
Meanwhile, in 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) said there was "no conclusive evidence for a carcinogenic effect."
In addition, the American Institute for Cancer Research said drinking coffee may help stop or prevent cancer.