From the land of governor moonbeam:

Coffee sold in California could carry cancer warning labels
Brian Melley, Associated Press
Updated 3:47 pm, Monday, September 25, 2017

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A future cup of coffee in California could give you jitters before you even take a sip.

A nonprofit group wants coffee manufacturers, distributors and retailers to post ominous warnings about a cancer-causing chemical stewing in every brew and has been presenting evidence in a Los Angeles courtroom to make its case.

The long-running lawsuit that resumed Monday claims Starbucks and about 90 other companies, including grocery stores and retail shops, failed to follow a state law requiring warning signs about hazardous chemicals found everywhere from household products to workplaces to the environment.

At the center of the dispute is acrylamide, a carcinogen found in cooked foods such as French fries that is also a natural byproduct of the coffee roasting process. The coffee industry has acknowledged the presence of the chemical but asserts it is at harmless levels and is outweighed by benefits from drinking coffee.

Although the case has been percolating in the courts since 2010, it has gotten little attention.

A verdict in favor of the little-known Council for Education and Research on Toxics could send a jolt through the industry with astronomical penalties possible and it could wake up a lot of consumers, though it's unclear what effect it would have on coffee-drinking habits.

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http://www.sfgate.com/news/medical/artic...er-12226980.php