The National Coffee Association has brought in a Sacramento public affairs firm as the coffee industry trade group joins a growing push to curtail California's Proposition 65, which requires products to list potentially harmful ingredients.
The non-profit Council for Education and Research on Toxics in 2010 sued Starbucks and other coffee retailers in California, alleging they failed to warn consumers about acrylamide, a natural byproduct of coffee roasting linked to cancer in rodents. A state judge last month denied summary judgment for the non-profit and said a jury should determine the case.
The New York-based NCA this month hired Sacramento-based Political Solutions to provide a local presence and expertise in a bid to amend Prop 65.
Gov. Jerry Brown, along with elected officials and business groups in the state, support changes to the measure because of a proliferation of lawsuits and outdated standards in the 27-year-old law.
"California's Proposition 65 has created a toxic business environment for the coffee industry and other businesses, and NCA has been leading the charge to roll back its scope and impact," said Robert F. Nelson, NCA president and CEO.
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