Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle released his decision that found in favor of a not-for-profit group, the Council for Education and Research on Toxics, that sued coffee retailers in California that they said were violating California law.
The chemical at the center of the case, which was filed in 2010, is acrylamide, a chemical that is known to cause cancer, but that is naturally produced during the roasting of coffee beans and can be found in the coffee we drink, The Washington Post reported.
Starbucks must put cancer warning on California coffee judge https://t.co/PVXkgSvtfc pic.twitter.com/35NYR5sCpC
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) March 29, 2018
Companies had to show that acrylamide in coffee wouldn't cause one or more cases of cancer in every 100,000 people, but the judge said that companies failed to show the trend, the Post reported.
Starbucks and the other defendants, like McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts and Peet’s, have until April 10 to file objections.
The next phase of the trial will set any civil penalties against the companies that had not settled, the Post reported.
Some defendants settled before this week's warning, and agreed to post warnings and pay fines, Reuters reported.
Credit: Daniel Berehulak
Credit: Daniel Berehulak
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