Coca-Cola Original

Same label. Different formula.

Coca-Cola Original contains "Caramel Color (Class IV)" -- listed simply as "caramel color" on the label. The process of making Class IV caramel color (the kind used in colas) produces a byproduct called 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI), which California listed under Proposition 65 as a known carcinogen in 2011, based on NTP animal studies. In 2013, Coca-Cola reformulated its California product specifically to reduce 4-MEI levels below the Prop 65 threshold (29 micrograms per day) and avoid having to print a cancer warning on cans sold in that state. The rest of the US does not have this requirement. You cannot tell from the label which version of caramel color is in your can.

Source: NPR, July 3, 2013 -- documents the reformulation decision. California OEHHA Prop 65 fact sheet on 4-MEI.

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Sources & citations

Every claim on this page is sourced from a primary document.

We don't editorialize ingredient research. Each statement above traces to one of the publications below. Click through to read the original.

  1. California OEHHA - Prop 65 fact sheet on 4-MEI

    Official state fact sheet listing 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) under Proposition 65 as a known carcinogen.

    https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/4-methylimidazole-4-mei-fact-sheet
  2. Consumer Reports / PMC4333292

    Peer-reviewed: Caramel Color in Soft Drinks and Exposure to 4-Methylimidazole, Feb 2015. Measures 4-MEI levels in Coca-Cola including California vs non-CA variants.

    https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4333292/
  3. NPR, July 3, 2013

    News documentation of Coca-Cola's California-only caramel-color reformulation to avoid Prop 65 warning label.

    https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/07/03/198040172/coke-changed-caramel-color-to-avoid-cancer-warning-pepsi-in-transition
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