Spice and flavouring manufacturer McCormick & Company, coffee and flavouring manufacturer Farmer Bros and Adams Extract & Spice.
The complaints charge the three defendants with distributing food extracts, flavours and colourings containing unacceptable levels of the carcinogenic chemical 4-MEI, or 4-Methylimidazole, without a proper consumer warning label.
The Chanler Group had previously issued 60-day notices of violation, urging the manufacturers to comply with California’s Proposition 65 requirements. The state law calls for manufacturers and retailers to label products containing known carcinogenic toxins with a warning to inform consumers prior to exposure.
The 4-MEI compound is frequently added to food products for its caramel colour. It was first added to Prop 65’s list of chemicals known to the state of California to cause cancer in January of 2011.
Beginning in 2012, The Chanler Group independently purchased a variety of products from McCormick & Company, Farmer Bros and Adams Extract & Spice. The products were then tested in a certified laboratory, where significant levels of 4-MEI were detected.
The 4-MEI compound is also commonly found in pharmaceuticals, photographic chemicals, dyes, pigments, cleaning products, and rubber products.
Source: The Chanler Group
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