California attorney general sues over acrylamide

The State’s attorney general has filed suit under Proposition 65 against some of the biggest food companies, including McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, and Frito-Lay, to force them to put warning labels on all French fries and potato chips sold in California because they contain high levels of acrylamide, a known carcinogen.

The chemical has a number of industrial uses, but within the past several years scientists discovered it was also a natural byproduct of cooking food. Since then scientists and health regulatory agencies around the world, including FDA and World Health Organization, have been studying the health implications of acrylamide and what, if anything, should be done. They have not yet determined if acrylamide can cause cancer in humans at the level present in food.

The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment continues to consider how acrylamide should be dealt with under Proposition 65. The food industry maintains that until scientific conclusions are reached, no warning labels should be required.