Illinois Might Ban Your Favorite Decaf Coffee Soon

A staple for coffee lovers might be on it's way out the door.

I've loved and drank coffee for years. I'm definitely not a decaf fan but a cup of decaf can be a nice afternoon sip to at least give you the illusion of getting a boost of energy to finish out your day. If you love your decaf coffee, I have some bad news for you.

There's a huge push to get rid of food additives these days. Illinois has proposed a bill that would ban certain ones that are in popular snacks like snack cakes, cookies, pretzels, and yogurt.

But now decaf coffee is in the crosshairs.

The Possible Ban

The Street reports that the possible ban on decaf coffee has to do with additives used in decaffeinating the naturally caffeinated coffee beans. 

So basically, the beans have to undergo a process to lose their caffeine for decaf coffee. It's a process that includes the chemical methylene chloride.

OSHA considers the chemical to be a "likely carcinogen". Methylene chloride is also used in paint stripping and metal cleaning. It's colorless and smells like chloroform.

Since January, the FDA has been weighing the possibility of banning methylene chloride and this week, the EPA banned it for most applications.

Coffees That Use It

The Clean Label Project found methylene chloride traces in these coffees:

• AmazonFresh Decaffeinated Colombia
• Kirkland Signature Decaffeinated Dark Roast
• Maxwell House Decaffeinated Original Roast
• Café Bustelo

It was not found in:

• Starbucks
• Dunkin’ Donuts
• Folgers
• Caribou Coffee

The Other Option To Decaffeinate

Companies don't have to use methylene chloride to make decaf coffee beans. There is the Swiss Water method, which means soaking green coffee beans in water for hours, allowing the caffeine to naturally seep out.