No point in getting the grilled chicken at KFC because it’s just as unhealthy as the battered-and-fried kind, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. The doctors group has sued KFC in a San Francisco Superior Court on grounds that the fast-food chain is not informing consumers of the risk associated with eating its new grilled chicken products.

 

Under California’s Proposition 65, businesses must warn customers if they are being exposed to substances that cause cancer or birth defects. Independent laboratory analyses by the plaintiffs found KFC’s grilled chicken contains the carcinogen PhIP, a chemical that can increase a person’s risk of developing breast, prostate and other forms of cancer.

 

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has sued other fast-food companies over their grilled chicken products, winning a settlement that got Burger King to post notices warning customers about the presence of PhIP in its food. McDonald’s refused to comply and won a decision on appeal. A KFC spokesman said their grilled chicken is safe to eat, and alleged that the doctors’ group “promotes a vegetarian agenda.”

 

The state attorney general’s office ordered its own scientific assessment of KFC grilled chicken and found the PhIP levels in the food were too low to require a Prop. 65 warning.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Doctors Sue KFC Over Dangerous Carcinogen in New Grilled Chicken Products (News and Media Center)

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine v. KFC Corporation (San Francisco Superior Court) (PDF)

Doctors' Suit: KFC Grilled Chicken a Danger (by Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle)