# California, Prop 65, and licorice: Licorice Gate! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 23, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383 "2014-11-23T02:38:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/1 "2014-11-23T02:38:32Z")
This grew out of a conversation I had some time ago by phone with a worker at the Vermont country Store. She said she could not ship any of their licorice items to California because of Proposition 65. Example: [The Best of Vermont from The Vermont Country Store to your door!](http://www.vermontcountrystore.com/store/jump/productDetail/Food_&_Candy/Sweet/Candy/Liquorice_Allsorts_%2814_oz._Tin%29/44669) ``` I looked it up, and the gist is that licorice may contain higher than acceptable amounts of lead: ``` [California Prop 65 – RidgeCrest Herbals](http://www.rcherbals.com/prop65/) [http://prop65news.com/StoryDetails/tabid/101/ArticleID/7352/State-Dept-of-Health-Expands-Black-Licorice-Recall.aspx](http://prop65news.com/StoryDetails/tabid/101/ArticleID/7352/State-Dept-of-Health-Expands-Black-Licorice-Recall.aspx) And here is a list of violations and violators: > **[2014-00090.pdf](https://oag.ca.gov/system/files/prop65/notices/2014-00090.pdf)** > > 225.73 KB But here’s the rub: You can still buy quite an assortment of red and black licorice, apparently both domestic and foreign made, from Trader Joe’s and, probably, from other specialty stores. I even found it in the Barstow Station once. Hell, you can get licorice allsorts at Staples. Is this whole thing just arbitrary? Who the hell has time to enforce the sales and distribution of friggin’ licorice? Why are there no warnings printed on any of the licorice containers AFAIK? If I can buy it here in CA, why can’t they ship it here from Vermont? Am I missing something? My brain aches a bit. \ ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/2 "2014-11-23T03:52:10Z")
All they have to do is slap a sticker on it that says “WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.” The company in question either doesn’t feel like doing that - or they want to punish people in that state in order to try and get them to change the law. If someone believes their product doesn’t have 1/1000 of what is considered the safe amount of a chemical on the list - they can have it tested. Or they can do what almost everyone does - and slap a label on it anyway. Many companies in CA do just that - which make the labels pretty useless. But is it fair to the companies that have complied wit the law - to allow other companies to sell their wares - without a label - implying it is safe®? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/3 "2014-11-23T09:15:24Z")
Nitpick: licorice is a flavor, not a shape for a piece of candy. Absent a cite that a confectioner is putting the licorice flavor into a red-colored candy, I’m going to assert that there is no such thing as “red licorice.” ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/4 "2014-11-23T09:48:17Z")
Not sure about that, after all, a lot of black licorice is not actually flavoured with licorice, but in fact with anise. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/5 "2014-11-23T18:59:27Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Nitpick: licorice is a flavor, not a shape for a piece of candy. Absent a cite that a confectioner is putting the licorice flavor into a red-colored candy, I’m going to assert that there is no such thing as “red licorice.” I’m with you. Confectioners just insist on calling it that. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/6 "2014-11-23T19:18:52Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > Not sure about that, after all, a lot of black licorice is not actually flavoured with licorice, but in fact with anise. _Joke about licorice “tasting like anus” omitted._ ---
**Author:** ![Obsidian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/51bf81/32.png) [@Obsidian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obsidian)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2014, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/7 "2014-11-23T20:26:49Z")
Prop 65 has got to be one of the stupidest laws this state has got. Those signs are literally everywhere and on everything, and are therefore completely meaningless. It’s a joke. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/8 "2014-11-24T00:16:37Z")
They’ve stopped adding lead to fuel - so it has to go somewhere else instead - and that’s licorice. If you campaign for lead-free licorice, you’ll just make the lead go somewhere else. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/9 "2014-11-24T01:45:31Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Nitpick: licorice is a flavor, not a shape for a piece of candy. Absent a cite that a confectioner is putting the licorice flavor into a red-colored candy, I’m going to assert that there is no such thing as “red licorice.” > [@vivalostwages](#): > > I’m with you. Confectioners just insist on calling it that. Guess what? The definition of “licorice” has shifted. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/10 "2014-11-24T02:25:08Z")
> [@DataX](#): > > The company in question either doesn’t feel like doing that - or they want to punish people in that state in order to try and get them to change the law. It’s probably a marketing decision. Companies would rather forego California sales than have their product sold somewhere with an official warning that it can cause cancer and birth defects. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/11 "2014-11-24T09:31:10Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > Guess what? The definition of “licorice” has shifted. Thanks for the heads up. Can you tell me what is the new word for an anise-flavored candy that I can use when I want to ask for that without having the red crap pushed off on me? Because we need one. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/12 "2014-11-24T09:55:06Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Thanks for the heads up. Can you tell me what is the new word for an anise-flavored candy that I can use when I want to ask for that without having the red crap pushed off on me? > > Because we need one. I thought you wanted a licorice-flavored candy, not an anise-flavored candy. Or is defining licorice as being anise-flavored an _acceptable_ amount of linguistic drift in your book? ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/13 "2014-11-24T13:13:42Z")
Well, I’ll be. I always thought that anise was source of the flavor in licorice. Having learned otherwise, I hereby modify my request to ask that someone tell me the word that was coined to refer exclusively to _licorice_-flavored candies (when used in the context of discussions about candy). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2014, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/14 "2014-11-24T17:42:43Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Thanks for the heads up. Can you tell me what is the new word for an anise-flavored candy that I can use when I want to ask for that without having the red crap pushed off on me? > > Because we need one. “black licorice” ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/15 "2014-11-25T11:23:07Z")
The following is from Title 27 of the California Code of Regulations: > [@](#): > > § 25603.1 Consumer Products Exposure War > nings – Method of Transmission > The warning may be provided by using one or > more of the following methods singly or in > combination: > (a) A warning that appears on a pr > oduct’s label or other labeling. > (b) Identification of > the product at the retail outlet > in a manner which provides a > warning. Identification may be through shel > f labeling, signs, menus, or a combination > thereof. > (c) The warnings provided pursuant to > subparagraphs (a) and (b) shall be > prominently placed upon a product’s label or ot > her labeling or displayed at the retail > outlet with such conspicuousness, as compared > with other words, statements, designs, or > devices in the label, labeling > or display as to render it lik > ely to be read and understood by > an ordinary individual under custom > ary conditions of purchase or use. > (d) A system of signs, public advertis > ing identifying the system and toll-free > information services, or any other system th > at provides clear and reasonable warnings. If the store is located inside California, it is sufficient to simply post a sign in the store. Individual units of merchandise do not have to be labeled. I just looked at two bottles of wine of different brands purchased in California and they do not have Prop 65 warnings on them. So Vermont Country Store could put a warning in its catalogs or on its web site. This would freak out consumers in the other 49 states that don’t realize that Prop 65 is a joke. I suppose they could also pop up a warning if you attempted to ship a covered product to California (obviously, that would only work for internet sales). They have obviously chosen not to deal with it at all. ---
**Author:** ![AnaMen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dfb087/32.png) [@AnaMen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnaMen)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/16 "2014-11-25T15:12:35Z")
I love black licorice, but can’t we have an unleaded version? I’m no fan of nanny-statism and unnecessary food restrictions, nor concerned about lead in household items, but I think California may be onto something here with not permitting it in food. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/17 "2014-11-25T16:10:13Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > Thanks for the heads up. Can you tell me what is the new word for an anise-flavored candy that I can use when I want to ask for that without having the red crap pushed off on me? > > Because we need one. > [@BigT](#): > > “black licorice” I clearly specified the need for _one_. That’s two. Thank you for your effort, though. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/18 "2014-11-25T16:37:10Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I clearly specified the need for _one_. That’s two. > > Thank you for your effort, though. How bout blicorice? ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/19 "2014-11-25T17:30:37Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > They’ve stopped adding lead to fuel - so it has to go somewhere else instead - and that’s licorice. If you campaign for lead-free licorice, you’ll just make the lead go somewhere else. I vote it goes into brussel sprouts. > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I clearly specified the need for _one_. That’s two. > > Thank you for your effort, though. We already have one. It’s licorice. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2014, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383/20 "2014-11-25T17:59:21Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > They’ve stopped adding lead to fuel - so it has to go somewhere else instead - and that’s licorice. If you campaign for lead-free licorice, you’ll just make the lead go somewhere else. I vote it goes into brussel sprouts. > [@kaylasdad99](#): > > I clearly specified the need for _one_. That’s two. > > Thank you for your effort, though. We already have one. It’s licorice. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/california-prop-65-and-licorice-licorice-gate/705383.md?page=2)