肯德雞公司24日同意遵照1986年由加州民眾投票通過的法案結果,該法案要求讓消費者接觸到有害物質的企業,須在產品上提供一個「清楚且合理的警語」。
該公司同意要警告加州消費者其油炸或烘烤馬鈴薯含有已知致癌物丙烯醘胺(acrylamide)。丙烯醘胺是存於食物中的化學物質遇到高熱時,所產生的副產品,薯條和薯片中都發現到極高的含量。例如,一份炸薯條或薯片含有高於美國環保署規定水中丙烯醘胺量的82倍。
65提案(Proposition 65)是由加州63%的投票者通過的法案,促進了這個強制標示的實施。肯德雞與加州檢察官布朗(Edmund G. Brown Jr.)調解會中,同意他們將提供消費者相關警語,以配合65提案的結果,加強安全飲水和毒物管制行動。
該公司在沒有承認他們錯誤的情況下,也同意賠償20萬8千美元給民事罰鍰,以及13萬3千美元以資助65提案的執法行動。
肯德雞與加州檢察官的協調只是執行65提案對於大型飲食製造商的第一波行動,其他還包括佛樂多萊氏(Frito-Lay inc.)、百事食品(Pepsico Inc.)、亨氏(H.J. Heinz Co)、克特食品(Kettle Foods Inc.)、寶僑公司(Procter & Gamble Distributing Co.)、溫蒂食品、麥當勞與漢堡王。
The KFC Corp., which serves Kentucky Fried Chicken, agreed Tuesday to comply with a 1986 voter-approved initiative requiring companies that expose consumers to harmful substances to provide a "clear and reasonable warning."
The company agreed to warn California customers that its fried or baked potatoes contain acrylamide, a chemical known to cause cancer. Acrylamide, a byproduct created by the reaction of chemicals in food and high heat, is found in French fries and potato chips at high levels. For example, a serving of fries or potato chips has about 82 times more acrylamide than is allowed in drinking water under U.S. EPA standards.
Proposition 65, the initiative demanding the exposure warnings, was approved by 63 percent of California voters. In settling a lawsuit with California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr., the KFC Corp. agreed to supply consumers with acrylamide warnings to comport with Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act.
The company, without admitting wrongdoing, also agreed to pay $208,000 in civil penalties and $133,000 to fund Proposition 65 enforcement actions.
The settlement was the first as part of an ongoing Proposition 65 enforcement action against major food and beverage producers including Frito-Lay Inc., Pepsico Inc., H.J. Heinz Co., Kettle Foods Inc., Procter & Gamble Distributing Co., Wendy's International Inc., McDonald's Corp., and Burger King Corp.