SACRAMENTO, Aug. 27 (UPI) -- California has sued nine makers of potato chips and french fries, claiming state law requires them to warn consumers of high levels of a suspected carcinogen.
The defendants include Frito-Lay, KFC, McDonald's, Wendy's and Procter & Gamble, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"I am not telling people to stop eating potato chips and french fries," Attorney General Bill Lockyer said in a statement. "I know from personal experience that, while these snacks may not be a necessary part of a healthy diet, they sure taste good."
The chemical acrylamide forms in starchy foods like potatoes when they are cooked at a high temperature. California officials say french fries contain as much as 125 times the amount of acrylamide that requires a state warning, while potato chips contain as much as 75 times the amount.
Michele Corash, a San Francisco lawyer representing some of the food companies, told the Times a warning would deceive consumers into thinking home-cooked potatoes are safer.
"It is bound to misinform people if you have a warning on french fries but not on a potato," she said. "No one buys a potato to eat it raw."
