I’ve long been a firm believer that nothing good comes from decaf coffee. But jokes aside, this is pretty serious stuff.
Methylene chloride is a deadly neurotoxic solvent found in commercial paint stripper. It’s a known carcinogen so the EPA has banned it in consumer paint stripper and cosmetics.
Caffeine is naturally found in coffee beans so to get decaf coffee, you have to remove the caffeine from the beans. There are several ways to decaffeinate coffee; one of which is to use the solvent methylene chloride.
Yes, the FDA allows methylene chloride – a neurotoxin that has caused cancer in lab rats – for decaffeination, as long as only trace amounts remain in the product. The EPA says this stuff is so bad we don’t need it in our environment but the FDA says drinking it is okay. Something about that doesn’t sit well with me.
The offending companies that use methylene chloride? Kraft-Heinz (Maxwell House), Peets, Amazon, JM Smucker’s (Cafe Bustelo) and Keurig-Green Mountain. Remember – this affects only decaf. If you drink a regular version from these brands, you’re safe from methylene chloride.
Want to learn more about what’s in your decaf? The Clean Label Project recently released the first database of decaf coffee brands. They reached out to more than 90 brands and asked about their decaffeination methods. You can see which companies disclosed information, here.
Read more about the lawsuit against the five companies here.
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