LOS ANGELES, April 6 (UPI) -- California is grappling with how to educate but not panic residents about the presence of cancer-causing acrylamides in French fries.
The state's strict right-to-know law, Proposition 65, could eventually force restaurants to post warnings about the presence of the chemical, which is also found in bread, potato chips, almonds and coffee.
Lawsuits have already been filed by such food conglomerates as Burger King to fight off warnings, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.
Since the discovery of acrylamide in food two years ago, researchers around the world have detected it in dozens of dishes, but is particularly prevalent in starchy foods such as potato chips and French fries. It is created simply by cooking.
However, not everyone is adamant about consumer warnings.
"It's absurd to see these warnings at libraries and supermarkets and hardware stores. When you have too much information, and it doesn't discriminate, it does not inform," said Henry Miller, a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration official who is a fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. "We live in a world of chemicals. So it is not surprising that there are all manner of chemicals -- natural and man-made -- in our bodies."
