Fast-Food Grilled Chicken Contains Dangerous Carcinogen, Laboratory Tests Reveal
Doctors’ Group Sues McDonald’s, Burger King, Outback, and Other National Chains Under California Law to Warn Consumers
WASHINGTON—Every sample
of grilled chicken products
from seven national restaurant
chains tested positive for
a dangerous carcinogenic compound
called PhIP, prompting the
Physicians Committee for Responsible
Medicine (PCRM) to file suit
under California’s Proposition
65 to compel the restaurants
to warn unsuspecting consumers.
PCRM is suing McDonald’s,
Burger King, Chick-fil-A, Chili’s,
Applebee’s, Outback Steakhouse,
and TGI Friday’s in The
Superior Court of the State
of California for the County
of Los Angeles.
PCRM commissioned an independent
laboratory to test grilled
chicken products from California
outlets of all seven chains.
PhIP was found in every grilled
chicken sample from each restaurant
where samples were collected.
PhIP is one of a group of carcinogenic
compounds called heterocyclic
amines (HCAs) that are found
in grilled meat. In 2005, the
federal government officially
added HCAs to its list of carcinogens,
and PhIP has been on the California
governor’s list of chemicals
known to cause cancer for more
than a decade.
“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,” says
PCRM president Neal Barnard,
M.D. “Even a grilled
chicken salad increases the
risk of breast cancer, prostate
cancer, and other forms of
this lethal disease.”
For an interview with lead
attorney Dan Kinburn, Dr. Barnard,
or another PCRM spokesperson,
contact Jeanne S. McVey at
202-686-2210, ext. 316, or
jeannem@pcrm.org.
Founded in 1985, the Physicians
Committee for Responsible
Medicine is a nonprofit health
organization that promotes
preventive medicine, especially
good nutrition. PCRM also
conducts clinical research
studies, opposes unethical
human experimentation, and
promotes alternatives to
animal research.
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Physicians
Committee for Responsible Medicine
5100 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.,
Ste. 400, Washington, DC 20016
Phone: 202-686-2210 | E-mail: pcrm@pcrm.org |
