Group Files Suit Over French Fries

McDonald’s Corp. and Diageo’s Burger King Corp. hid that the oil used to cook their French fries may contain a chemical suspected of causing cancer, an environmental group alleged in a lawsuit.

The nation’s largest sellers of French fries are violating California’s Proposition 65, which requires manufacturers to warn consumers of dangerous chemicals, the Council for Education and Research on Toxics said in a suit filed in Los Angeles. The suit said fatty starchy foods cooked at high temperatures contain high levels of acrylamide, a suspected carcinogen.

Anna Rozenich, a spokeswoman for Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s, said she hasn’t seen the suit. Officials at Burger King didn’t return calls seeking comment after hours.

The group is asking a judge to order the restaurants to provide a “clear and reasonable warning” to customers about acrylamide and to fine the companies $2,500 a day for each violation of Proposition 65. McDonald’s shares fell 27 cents to $21.97 and Diageo fell 8 cents to $48.13, both on the NYSE.