California Won’t Sue French Fry Sellers Now
The California Attorney General’s office has decided not to take any immediate action against the nation’s top sellers of French fries for selling products that contain acrylamide, a chemical the state considers toxic.
Two environmental coalitions had sought to use California’s Proposition 65 to force McDonald’s Corp., Burger King and other food companies to slap warning labels for acrylamide on their packages or reformulate their products.
A number of government studies in recent months found high levels of the suspected human carcinogen in starchy foods cooked at high temperatures.
In a letter Tuesday to Raphael Metzger, an attorney representing one of the groups, Deputy Atty. Gen. Ed Weil said he has no immediate plans to file suit against the burger chains. He did not rule out taking the matter up at a later date, when more information on the health effects of acrylamide in food is available.
Melinda Fulmer
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