Banning Sulfite Use on Potatoes Urged
Restaurants could no longer use sulfites to preserve fresh potatoes under a ban proposed Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration.
Sulfites were banned last year as a preservative for raw fruits and vegetables, a rule intended primarily to stop their use in salad bars.
In proposing to expand that ban, the FDA said four deaths have been linked to exposure to sulfite preservatives used on raw potatoes that subsequently were served by restaurants as hash browns and cottage fries.
FDA Commissioner Frank E. Young said the agency has concluded that sulfite preservatives pose no health hazard to the general public, but they can cause reactions in up to 1 million people who are allergic to them, many of whom suffer from asthma.
The new rule, being published in the Federal Register today for a 60-day public comment period, would eliminate the use of sulfites by restaurants on fresh potatoes to be served or sold unpackaged and unlabeled. It would also apply to wholesalers who supply restaurants and such institutions as nursing homes and hospitals.
Restaurants and wholesalers often use sulfites to keep sliced or peeled potatoes from turning brown before they are cooked.
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