LOS ANGELES — California coffee drinkers are in for a buzzkill after a local judge ruled that everyone must be made aware that their cup of joe could come with the big C.

The New York Times reports that a lawsuit filed by the nonprofit Council for Education and Research on Toxics claims Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and other coffee companies failed to warn consumers about acrylamide, a possible carcinogen produced when coffee beans are roasted.

According to CBS, previous studies have shown that animals given high levels of the chemical in drinking water developed multiple tumors, but research on the effects on humans are inconclusive.

Experts say the amount of acrylamide ingested in coffee is small compared to eating french fries and potato chips, or smoking tobacco.

Many studies have even found probable evidence that coffee consumption is associated with a decreased risk of cancer.

But because coffee companies failed to show that acrylamide posed no risk or added any health benefits, the judge ruled that coffee sold in California must carry a cancer warning label.

Medical experts say a blanket warning linking coffee to cancer could cause unnecessary panic among the general public, especially since there is not enough evidence to suggest that this is in fact the case.