Cancer-causing Ingredient Found in Potato Chips

August 2008

Major potato chip companies have settled a lawsuit by agreeing to reduce the amount of acrylamide, a cancerous chemical, in their products. Frito Lay, Kettle Foods, and Lance Inc. are limiting acrylamide levels three years after former Attorney General Bill Lockyer sued fast-food chains and potato chip companies for failing to alert Californians about the hazards of the chemical.

In another settlement, Heinz agreed to reduce levels of acrylamide in Ore-Ida frozen French fries and tater tots by 50 percent. In January, Procter & Gamble reduced the level of acrylamide in Pringles potato chips by half. Last year, McDonald's, KFC, Wendy's and Burger King agreed to post alerts about the dangers of acrylamide in chips and fries.

Acrylamide is a chemical produced when potatoes and other starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures and is used industrially for treating sewage. California listed it as a cancerous chemical in 1990 and it was discovered in food in 2002 by Swedish scientists. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not implemented any nationwide restrictions, but has advised consumers to reduce the levels of acrylamide by not over-browning fried potatoes while cooking.