US fast-food chains sued over carcinogenic chicken

Yahoo! ^ | Sep 28, 2006 | Associated Press

[bamahead]

WASHINGTON (AFP) - A US doctors' group has sued seven leading fast-food chains including McDonald's and Burger King over their use of a "dangerous carcinogenic" in grilled chicken.

The Washington-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) filed suit in California Thursday "to compel the restaurants to warn unsuspecting consumers".

The group said every sample of grilled chicken products from the seven national chains "tested positive for a dangerous carcinogenic compound called PhIP" during analysis at an independent laboratory.

PhIP is one of a group of carcinogenic compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that are found in grilled meat. In 2005, the US government officially added HCAs to its list of cancer-causing agents, the doctors' group said.

"Grilled chicken can cause cancer, and consumers deserve to know that this supposedly healthy product is actually just as bad for them as high-fat fried chicken," PCRM president Neal Barnard said in a statement.

[bamahead]

What about those of us who grill chicken ourselves? What's next? Trial lawyers going after your BBQ?

[scott7278]

Let's just ban food altogether.

[Williams]

As usual a poorly written article. Is this a substance being "used in" grilled chicken (as the article says) or is this the natural result of grilling a piece of chicken, without adding anything?

[Jack Hammer]

Ka-ching! Hey, kids - Dad's gonna buy a summer house/cabin cruiser/new Mercedes. And how about a trip to Europe this summer...?

[ladyinred]

I think that so called medical team is a new age type group who wants to save the planet from us all. The Food Nazi's are on a roll folks! Hide your grills!

[scott7278]

It is poorly written, but I suspect they are focusing on the results of grilling, not something actually inherant in the chicken.

Don't burn your chicken!

[bamahead]

I love it. We'll all eat soylent green.

[scott7278]

Inherent. Ahem.

[PA Engineer]

The Washington-based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) filed suit in California Thursday "to compel the restaurants to warn unsuspecting consumers".

This is a PETA front group. Pure BS.

[scott7278]

Watch out for the scoops!

[Williams]

Results of grilling, but it appears it is inherent in the chicken. When you grill meat and part burns black, it produces certain chemicals. Is that correct?

[martin_fierro]

carcinogenic chicken

The Chicken That Chokes You™

[facedown]

This is a PETA front group.

Yup.

[Larry Lucido]

I'm shocked!

Those things actually have chicken in them???

[Rte66]

The "char" in char-broiled, char-grilled, charcoal. Hmm, I thought ash was the one of the purest things on the planet - don't they put it on their vegan plants to grow them?

[gogogodzilla]

The carcinogen is created from the act of grilling meat.

Any meat put on a grill and cooked will end up with that being formed, as it's a natural byproduct.

Not to mention that this is some very old news... I've known about this since the early 1980's.

[Luke Skyfreeper]

I'm shocked!

Those things actually have chicken in them???

Damn!

And I thought I was just eating burned chemicals...

[rit]

MeIQ, MeIQx, and PhIP are heterocyclic amine compounds formed when meats and eggs are cooked or grilled at high temperatures. These compounds are also found in cigarette smoke. They are listed in the report as “reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens” because oral studies in animals showed they caused cancer in multiple organs including the forestomach, colon, liver, oral cavity, mammary gland, skin, and cecum. Several human studies suggest there is an increased risk for breast and colorectal cancers related to consumption of broiled or fried foods that may contain these or other similar compounds.

Source: List of Cancer-Causing Agents Grows (press release)

[scott7278]

I guess they're equating (on some level) inhaling carcinogenic smoke with eating char-grilled chicken.

All this talk is making me hungry for something grilled. PETA, you lose!

[Williams]

Tx.