Caramel coloring is one of the oldest food additives and is found widespread in products like soft drinks, breads, deli meats, liquors, donuts, candy, cookies, ice cream, bouillon, beer, pudding, batters, breading, and more. Caramel coloring is made when sugars are combined under high pressure and high temperatures with ammonia and sulfites. The product of this chemical reaction is 4-methylimdazole. 4-methylimdazole, or 4-MeI, caused lung, liver, and/or thyroid cancer, and/or leukemia in government conducted studies on rats. For this reason the state of California requires manufacturers to label a product sold there with a cancer warning if it exposes consumers to more than 29 micrograms of 4-MeI per day. Many common cans of sodas exceed this limit. The FDA, however, has approved caramel as a color additive and lists it as a "generally recognized as safe" food ingredient. Cancer and leukemia? Safe? All in the name of making a food look a certain way? Sounds about as healthy and logical as tanning beds. If you are looking to avoid this ingredient please note that manufacturers can use the general term “artificial color” interchangeably with “caramel color" on food labels.
