California files suit on french fry health warning By Robert Selna

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California files suit on french fry health warning By Robert Selna

Mon Aug 29,12:34 PM ET

 

 

 

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California Attorney General Bill Lockyer has

filed a lawsuit to force top makers of potato chips and french fries to

warn consumers about a potential cancer-causing chemical found in the

popular snacks.

 

In a complaint filed on Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Lockyer

sought an injunction to stop restaurant chains such as McDonald's Corp.

and Wendy's International Inc. from selling french fries without some

form of warning.

 

Also named were producers of potato chips and other packaged potato

products like PepsiCo's Frito-Lay Inc. and Procter & Gamble Co., makers

of Pringles chips.

 

The suit asks manufacturers of these products to identify the dangers of

high levels of acrylamide, a chemical that studies have found is created

when starchy foods are cooked at high heat.

 

" I know from personal experience that, while these snacks may not be a

necessary part of a healthy diet, they sure taste good, " Lockyer said in

a statement. " But I, and all consumers, should have the information we

need to make informed decisions about the food we eat. "

 

The lawsuit alleges that companies have violated a state law passed in

1986 requiring companies to provide warnings before exposing people to

known carcinogens or reproductive toxins.

 

In 2002, scientists found potatoes and other starchy foods cooked at

high temperatures contained low levels of acrylamide. Other studies have

discounted the potential toxicity of acrylamide to humans.

 

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT STUDYING ACRYLAMIDE LEVELS

 

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is studying the impact of

acrylamide levels in food. In a March press release, the FDA said

" acrylamide can cause cancer in laboratory animals at high doses,

although it is not clear whether it causes cancer in humans at the much

lower levels found in food. "

 

Acrylamide is also widely used for industrial purposes, including sewage

treatment.

 

Other defendants named in the suit include Burger King Corp., KFC Corp.,

a unit of Yum Brands Inc., for its KFC Potato Wedges, Kettle Foods Inc.,

makers of Kettle chips, which bills itself as a natural health food

brand, and Cape Cod Potato Chips Co. of Hyannis, Massachusetts, a unit

of Lance Inc..

 

In June, a California consumer group pressed the attorney general's

office to take this action. At that time, Frito-Lay issued a statement

saying its " food safety standards are very stringent and meet all

federal and state regulations. "

 

Procter & Gamble spokeswoman Kay Puryear said company researchers have

been investigating issues raised by the 2002 acrylamide study, she said.

 

" Acrylamide is available whether those foods are prepared in a

restaurant, at home or by the packaged goods industry, " she said. " We

stand behind, and absolutely think, our products are as safe as ever. "

 

Burger King spokeswoman Edna Johnson said she had not seen the suit

because her company's Miami headquarters had been closed in the wake of

Hurricane Katrina. " As a matter of company policy we don't comment on

pending legal matters, " she said.

 

Spokesmen for McDonald's, Wendy's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Cape Cod

Potato Chips, Yum Brands and Kettle Foods were not immediately available

to comment on Saturday.

 

Under state law, the attorney general's suit supersedes private claims

filed by environmental groups in recent years against some of the same

defendants.

_________________

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" Wisdom of the Past, Food of the Future "

 

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