Starbucks must put cancer warning on California coffee: judge

[CALIFORNIA] Starbucks Corp and other coffee companies must put a cancer warning label on coffee products sold in California, a Los Angeles judge ruled.

Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle said in a proposed decision on Wednesday that Starbucks and other companies had failed to show that the threat from a chemical compound produced when roasting coffee was insignificant, court documents showed.

Starbucks and other plaintiffs in the case have until April 10 to file objections.

Officials from Starbucks Corp, McDonald's Corp, Dunkin' Donuts and Peet's did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The California-based Council for Education and Research on Toxics sued Starbucks and other companies on grounds they failed to provide warnings to consumers that the coffee they sold contained high levels of acrylamide, a toxic and carcinogenic chemical, court documents showed.

ERUTERS