Fast-food chains sued over grilled chicken claims CCF calls bogus

Fast-food chains sued over grilled chicken claims CCF calls bogus
Tags: Burger/Steak/BBQ, Legal Issues, Operations Management, Trends / Statistics
September 28, 2006

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is suing seven quick-service chains for serving what it calls carcinogenic grilled chicken.

The group filed a suit in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles Sept. 28. The defendants include McDonald's and Burger King.

PCRM said independent laboratory analysis of every sample of grilled chicken products served at each of the chains "tested positive for a dangerous carcinogenic compound called PhIP." According to the suit, PhIP is one of a group of carcinogenic compounds called heterocyclic amines (HCAs) that are found in grilled meat.

In 2005, the U.S. government 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. "Even a grilled chicken salad increases the risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer and other forms of this lethal disease."

The Center for Consumer Freedom disputed PCRM's claims.

"The federal government and the American Cancer Society agree that there's nothing dangerous about eating a chicken sandwich," CCF director of research, David Martosko said. The last time I checked, Americans were getting sick from spinach, not grilled chicken."

CCF also claimed PCRM is a wealthy animal rights organization, not a mainstream health group. CCF said PCRM's goals include transitioning Americans to a strict vegetarian diet.

According to a CCF news release, publicly available tax records show that two-thirds of the group's operating budget now comes from Nanci Alexander, an animal-rights proponent and millionaire who operates a Florida vegetarian restaurant.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) also has contributed more than $1.3 million to PRCRM, public records show.

"When will people realize that this phony 'physicians' group is just PETA with a lab coat? The animal rights activists at PCRM would rather save lab rats than cure cancer and AIDS," Martosko said. "They don't deserve a say in whether or not anyone eats a chicken sandwich."