Food Quality

Features: Soda Showdown

Caramel coloring is often used to darken food products such as carbonated beverages and soy sauces. Recently, two byproducts of its manufacture—2- and 4-methylimidazoles (2-MI and 4-MI)—have come under scrutiny. Studies from the National Toxicology Program (NTP) and other researchers concluded that there is clear evidence of the carcinogenicity of both chemicals. California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) listed 4-MI as a carcinogen in January with a calculated...