June 28, 2005 – In California, an environmental group is trying to force potato chip makers to put a warning on their packaging, due to the presence of a potentially carcinogenic chemical.
In California, companies are required by law to notify consumers when a product contains carcinogen (s).
By the formal notice it filed, the Environmental Law Foundation (ELF) specifically targets four chip producers: Lay’s (PepsiCo), Pringles (Procter & Gamble), Cape Cod (Lance Inc.) and Kettle.
ELF tested 12 kinds of potato chips to verify their content of acrylamide, a chemical formed when starch-based foods are cooked or fried at high temperatures. Result: acrylamide was present in all the products analyzed. The potato chip with the most, Cape Cod Robust Russet, exceeded the standard acceptable to the State of California by 910 times. Ligthly Salted Kettle Chips were in second place, with a concentration 505 times higher than the allowable threshold. However, the chips coming last had an acrylamide level 38 times higher than the norm.
Acrylamide is on the list of products considered carcinogenic by the California Office of Environmental Health Risk Assessment. While studies have already shown that acrylamide, in high doses, can cause cancer of the reproductive organs in laboratory animals, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has yet to rule on its effect in humans. .
Under the ELF formal notice, the state of California has two months to bring action against the chip makers seeking to force them to change their labels. According to ELF, the companies concerned could also opt for a modification of the process of transforming potatoes into chips, in particular by reducing the cooking temperature and reducing their sugar content.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
According to Reuters and The Los Angeles Times.
