Will the FDA Ban Methylene Chloride in Decaf Coffee? The Industry is Awaiting a Decision

BY BHAVI PATEL
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Featured photo courtesy of Getty Images

What to know:

• After a coalition of advocacy groups began to raise concern about the usage of methylene chloride in coffee decaffeination, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) opened public comment on the issue
• The period for public comment has now been closed, and the FDA has not yet reached a decision
• The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has been vocal about banning methylene chloride along with three other chemical solvents; the National Coffee Association (NCA) released a public statement rejecting the call to ban methylene chloride

Coffee lovers who skip the caffeine but keep the ritual are watching Washington closely. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has closed a reopened public comment period on a food-additive petition that could affect the continued use of methylene chloride in coffee decaffeination, a process widely known as the European Method. The outcome could reshape how millions of Americans get their decaf fix. Here is what happened, who is saying what, and why it matters for the future of decaf coffee.

The petition that wouldn’t quit

The fight traces back to a petition filed in December of 2023 by a coalition of consumer advocacy groups including the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), Breast Cancer Prevention Partners, the Center for Environmental Health, the Environmental Working Group, and individual Lisa Lefferts. The coalition advocated for the FDA to strip food additive status from four solvents, including methylene chloride, which is currently allowed at residue limits of 10 parts per million in decaffeinated roasted coffee and soluble coffee extract. The petitioners lean on the Delaney Clause: a federal provision barring carcinogenic food additives, arguing the solvents fail that test.

Methylene chloride is a chemical solvent used in one of the most common commercial methods for removing caffeine from coffee beans, often called the European Method. In this process, unroasted green coffee beans are soaked or steamed, then treated with the solvent, which binds to caffeine molecules and pulls them out of the bean while leaving most other flavor compounds intact. The beans are later rinsed and dried before roasting. The FDA currently permits trace residues of methylene chloride up to 10 parts per million in decaffeinated roasted coffee and soluble coffee extract, a threshold the agency has long maintained is safe for consumption.

The Environmental Defense Fund says the law is clear, the National Coffee Association puts out a rebuttal

For the EDF, this is not a gray area. Senior Director for Chemicals Policy Maria Doa said the FDA has been disregarding the law by permitting these long-established carcinogens to be added to food. That stance has anchored the advocacy coalition’s push since the petition first landed on the FDA’s docket.

The National Coffee Association (NCA) has been just as vocal in the opposite direction. NCA President and CEO Bill Murray stated that banning European Method decaf would defy science and harm Americans’ health. The group has gone further, describing the petitioning organizations as activist groups it says use scare tactics around everyday food safety. NCA data cited in coverage of the debate puts daily decaf drinkers at about 10 percent of U.S. adults, most of whom rely on the solvent-based method.

What the FDA actually wants to know

Rather than rushing a ruling, the agency reopened comments and specifically asked for practical considerations for manufacturers in phasing out impacted uses should the petition be partially or fully granted. That detail suggests regulators are thinking through implementation, not just the underlying science, even as they have not yet announced a decision.

What comes next

For now, decaf drinkers can keep brewing as usual. But roasters, importers, and green coffee buyers sourcing European Method decaf should watch this docket closely, since any phase-out timeline would ripple through sourcing, labelling, and pricing across the supply chain.

As the FDA reviews the record from this reopened comment period, the coffee industry is left waiting on a decision that could reshape decaf sourcing nationwide. Whatever the outcome, roasters and importers relying on the European Method will want to stay close to any regulatory updates in the months ahead.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bhavi Patel is a food writer focusing on coffee and tea, and a brand-building specialist with a background in dairy technology and an interest in culinary history and sensory perception of food.

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