One Step Closer to Warnings on Chicken
Restaurants are already reluctant to post calorie counts; can you imagine how hard it is to get fast-food joints to post a skull and crossbones—or at least a warning sign—letting customers know that their grilled chicken contains a carcinogen? It’s pretty dang hard—but the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) just got one step closer to making it a reality. A California appeals court just ruled that PCRM can proceed with its lawsuit against fast-food companies that sell grilled chicken without telling consumers that it contains a chemical that’s linked to several types of cancer, including breast cancer and prostate cancer.
Under California law, businesses must post warning signs when they expose people to chemicals that are known to cause cancer. But get this: Some fast-food companies are countering that the signs should be thwarted because they “contradict” federal guidelines ensuring that food be cooked enough to kill food-borne bacteria.
Comforting, isn’t it? It seems that any way you cook it, chicken is a health hazard.
Written by Heather Moore
