California to put warning labels on potatoes?

[Rebel Rose]

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Buying cereal, olives, potatoes, bread, almonds -- even prune juice -- at the grocery store soon might come with a cancer warning from the state of California.

State officials are considering a requirement that grocery stores, retailers and restaurants alert customers about acrylamide, a carcinogen created when starchy foods like potatoes and breads are baked, roasted, fried or toasted.

This is the text of the proposed warning:

Warning:

Baking, roasting, frying and toasting starchy foods forms acrylamide, a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer.

Given what is currently known about exposures to acrylamide in foods, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises consumers to continue to eat a balanced diet, choosing a variety of foods that are low in trans and saturated fat and rich in high-fiber grains, fruits and vegetables.

Levels of acrylamide in foods vary and may be reduced by avoiding excessive browning or crisping of some foods. Boiling or steaming foods does not form acrylamide.

Boxes of shredded wheat might be forgiven because "people need fiber."

[Smithy]

Somewhat OT, but related to California food warnings - I was very surprised last week to see warnings posted for lead in olive oil! What's up with that? The label was on the shelf, applying to all the olive oils. It looked like standard-issue California food warnings, but we didn't have time to follow up. We were in some routine California supermarket - Save-Mart, perhaps. Does anyone know more about this?

Edited June 27, 2005 by Smithy (log)

[gus_tatory]

i don't know about the olives/lead thing, sorry, but as someone unfamiliar with Californian/American food labelling, are they--in your opinion--doing this to avoid litigation or because they are wildly over-sensitive? perhaps both...

[dfunghi]

IMHO they do this because this is "what they do". They regulate everything that goes in your mouth ( well food anyway) and they love to have something to say about everything. They must constantly make work for themselves and justify their existance. They have little or no actual concern with public safety outside of sanitaion. When lead was found in Mexican candy and LA county banned it. They got pressure from Mars ( a large American candy co.) and that was the end of the ban. Instead it comes with a warning. I could tell you horror stories about my own run in with them but I'd rather not you can read it on here

http://tinyurl.com/akf9u

[evongvisith]

Part of it, too, is because many people are greedy and will seek the tiniest excuse to sue in the hopes of winning a gigantic settlement from some corporation.

I really doubt such a warning is going to have much of an effect and make people stop eating toast or French fries. I remember several years ago when there were stories in the media about barbeque being carcinogenic, but people are still grilling and the BBQ joints haven't all shut down. If people really want to do something, no government warning label is going to deter them from it -- smoking being a case in point.

[jhlurie]

I hate to generalize, but I think they are doing it because, with respect, California isn't always part of the same planet as everyone else. (kidding! )

The article reveals that this is a reaction to a certain well known "Proposition 65", which I'm sure must have been originally intended to warn about actually dangers instead of incredibly marginal ones.

Part of this also seems to revolve around the fact that the legal system apparently has no balls. There's been a decision pending in a case with McDonald's and Burger King for not labelling their french fries as dangerous for years.

This is the same warning, I believe, that also urges people to boil or steam all of their food to avoid carcinogens. Mmmmmmmm! At the very least, there's a spiritual connection to this topic, about scraping all of the good parts away when you grill.

[Rebel Rose]

I have this morbid premonition that one day soon the entire produce aisle will be draped and papered with verbose warnings, and I won't be able to see the fruit and vegetables unless I grope my way past festoons of skulls and crossbones. Even then, as I examine say, a bunch of fresh romaine, I will wonder what hidden poisons it contains.

Perhaps the state will also hand out free stickers that I can stick on my forehead that read "Contains Hydrochloric Acid" and in my case, "Contains Alcohol."

[savvysearch]

Boxes of shredded wheat might be forgiven because "people need fiber." 

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Oh thank god they spared delicious dry shredded wheat!!