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| A California consumer legal group is campaigning
to require warning labels on potato chips. |
A California consumer legal group is campaigning to require warning labels on
potato chips, saying they contain a chemical known to cause cancer and state law
requires the warnings.
The Environmental Law Foundation filed notices with the Golden State's attorney
general on Thursday against Lay's potato chip maker PepsiCo Inc., Pringles maker
Procter & Gamble Co., Cape Cod potato chip parent Lance Inc. and Kettle
Chips maker Kettle Foods Inc.
The notices give the attorney general's office 60 days to take up the case
on behalf of all Californians. If the state declines to pursue the matter, the
group said in the documents that "it intends to bring suit in the public
interest" against the companies.
Under California law, companies are required to warn consumers if their products
contain known carcinogens.
The chemical in question, acrylamide, is formed when starchy foods are baked
or fried at high temperatures. Acrylamide is listed by the California Office
of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as a chemical known to cause cancer.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been studying the impact of acrylamide
levels in food since 2002. On its Web site, the FDA said that, while the chemical
is known to cause cancer in laboratory animals in high doses, it is "not
clear whether acrylamide causes cancer in humans at the much lower levels found
in food."
"At this point we're still trying to evaluate the effects of acrylamide,"
said FDA spokesman Mike Herndon.
PepsiCo unit Frito-Lay said in a statement that it has not yet received the
notice from the ELF, but said its "food safety standards are very stringent
and meet all federal and state regulations."
Pringles spokeswoman Kay Puryear said its products "are as safe as ever"
and that Procter & Gamble has been "working to reduce the formation
of acrylamide."
A Kettle Foods spokeswoman said the company would not comment on pending litigation.
Officials at Lance were not immediately available for comment.
According to the Oakland, California-based Environmental Law Foundation, tests
it commissioned found levels of acrylamide in many of the nation's most popular
potato chip brands far exceeded the levels requiring warning labels under California
law.
Cape Cod Robust Russet potato chips exceeded the required warning level by
910 times, while Kettle Chips Lightly Salted chips exceeded the level by 505
times, the group said.
