1, Starbucks responds to cancer.
These two days, a news about the California court ruling that Starbucks was labeled as "possibly carcinogenic" was screened in the circle of friends. The ruling is based on the fact that coffee contains a lot of acrylamide, which is easy to cause cancer.
The news quoted the Wall Street Journal as saying that according to the court order, Starbucks and other coffee companies must mark acrylamide carcinogens in a prominent position in their products in the future.
As the news fermented, Starbucks' share price began to dive sharply, plunging 1.0 1 percentage point, and its market value evaporated wildly in just one hour.
What is the culprit "acrylamide" that caused this storm? It is said that this is a chemical produced during the baking of coffee beans. Previous animal experiments have proved that this substance can destroy DNA and lead to cancer.
On the evening of March 3 1, Starbucks announced to the media that the National Coffee Industry Association had issued an announcement on the court ruling.
According to the announcement, the entire coffee industry is currently considering various countermeasures, including continuing to appeal and taking further legal action.
It said that putting cancer warning labels on coffee products is an act of misleading consumers. William Murray, president and CEO of the National Coffee Industry Association, said: "Coffee has long been proved to be a healthy drink. The lawsuit produced a ridiculous result. This judgment No.65 confuses consumers and is not conducive to public health awareness. "
According to local laws, Starbucks and 90 other companies can object to this ruling before April 10.
Starbucks response: Labeling will mislead consumers.
Starbucks China issued a statement, which can be regarded as an official response.
According to this statement, regarding this lawsuit in California, please refer to the Chinese translation of the following related announcements of the National Coffee Industry Association.
The announcement (2065438+March 29, 2008) of the National Coffee Industry Association of the United States on California's judgment No.65 shows that the result of California's judgment No.65 may cause all coffee products to be labeled with cancer warning labels. The whole coffee industry is currently considering various countermeasures, including continuing to appeal and taking further legal action.
According to the announcement, putting cancer warning labels on coffee products is an act of misleading consumers. The nutrition guide issued by the US government points out that coffee is part of a healthy lifestyle. The World Health Organization (WHO) also clearly pointed out that coffee does not cause cancer. Many academic studies have proved the health benefits of drinking coffee, and people who drink coffee usually live longer.
The US Food and Drug Administration has not yet responded and needs to wait for further information.
2. What is the cause of cancer caused by coffee?
How does coffee cause cancer? Feng, deputy director of the Cancer Hospital affiliated to Chongqing University and the Nutrition Department of Chongqing Cancer Hospital, believes that coffee is rich in antioxidants. "The World Cancer Foundation says that drinking 3-5 cups of coffee a day can reduce the risk of cancer." When coffee causes cancer, Feng said, it is closely related to its processing. "Coffee beans themselves do not contain carcinogens. If they burn at high temperature, it will make coffee bitter, black and burnt, and one of acrylamide is a possible carcinogen. "
Bian Dongsheng, a nutritionist in the Clinical Nutrition Department of Ruijin Hospital affiliated to Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, said in an interview with the media that acrylamide exists in many common foods, such as instant noodles, potato chips, bread, biscuits, fried dough sticks and even home-cooked dishes. Simply put, as long as it is cooked by frying, roasting, barbecue and other methods. It will contain acrylamide. Coffee beans themselves do not contain this substance, but it is caused by the baking process.
Is the "culprit" acrylamide necessarily related to cancer? Li, a professor at the School of Public Health and Management of Chongqing Medical University, said that carcinogens are divided into several grades according to their intensity. Many items can cause cancer, mainly depending on the strength of carcinogens. People should carefully understand the scientific principle behind it after hearing the news. If it contains strong carcinogens, you should pay attention. If they are weak, they shouldn't be too nervous.
Feng also believes that the current research only proves carcinogenicity in animal experiments, but it is not clear what kind of cancer it will cause, and purified acrylamide is used in animal experiments, and the concentration, dosage and quality of toast and French fries are higher than those in daily life. In the crowd observation study, the evidence that acrylamide causes cancer to human body is not sufficient. "This may also be related to the dose and duration of human consumption."
Feng said that the research results of animals can not be directly copied and applied to humans, but more play a role in prompting and early warning. I believe this is also one of the reasons why American courts require Starbucks to put warning labels on coffee cups, telling people that there are risks and it plays a responsible role in human health.
Qin Shihuang, director of the Cancer Department of Fudan University Cancer Hospital, also said that acrylamide, as a newly discovered carcinogen in coffee, should be made known to consumers.