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Warnings for potato chips and french fries?Posted Aug 27th 2005 10:11AM by Deidre WoollardFiled under: Snacks, West Coast, Frying, NewspapersWill french fries and potato chips come with a warning? On Friday, California attorney General Bill Lockyer sued fast-food restaurants and the makers of potato chip companies say that they failed to warn California residents about acrylamide a carcinogen that results when potatoes and other starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures. The lawsuit says the companies violate California's Prop. 65 which requires warnings when people are exposed to carcinogens. Lockyer wants to make it clear that he isn't warning people not to eat these foods, just that they should be informed. He's only targeted potato products even though traces of the substance can be found in a wide variety of foods from breakfast cereals to prune juice. Acrylamide, which is used industrially for treating sewage was placed on the Proposition 65 toxic chemical list in 1990 but it wasn't until 2002 that Swedish scientists discovered it is created smaller amounts when starchy foods are cooked. Is the warning justified? Potato product producers fear that the warnings will scare off consumers. Curious as to how much of the chemical is in your favorite food? You can head to the FDA for a list.
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