UAE consumer groups back potato chip warning

Officials are supporting a US consumer legal group's campaign for warning labels to be put on potato chips, saying they contain a chemical that may lead to cancer.

Gulf News reported on June 19 that the California-based Environmental Law Foundation was requiring warning labels on potato chips saying they contain a chemical known as acrylamide.

Acrylamide is listed by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment as being known to cause cancer, and under Californian law companies are required to warn consumers if their products contain known carcinogens.

The group has filed notices with the state's Attorney-General against Lay's potato chip maker PepsiCo, Pringles maker Procter & Gamble, Cape Cod potato chip parent Lance and Kettle Foods.

The notices give the Attorney-General's office 60 days to take up the case. If it declines to pursue the matter, the group said "it intends to bring a suit in the public interest" against the companies.

Dr Juma Bilal Fairuz from the Emirate's Consumer Protection Society told Gulf News that such warnings should be placed on potato chips.

"If a consumer legal group in the USA has come up with this issue, then it should be taken into consideration because it must be based on scientific research. Everything that might have an effect on human health should be clarified properly on a product. For example, pharmacists are obliged to put the indications and side-effects on medicines. If any food product contains a substance that may lead to such a serious disease, then a warning must be placed on the product.

"Cigarette packets have a warning which says nicotine may cause heart disease and cancer. Thus potato chips must have warnings that they contain acrylamide, which may lead to cancer. In this way consumers will have the option and will be aware of the possibility of getting the disease."

An official from the General Secretariat of Municipalities in the UAE said they were waiting for the World Health Organisation's (WHO) decision before taking any action.

"We can't just agree with what this group has done. We have to wait for the decision of the Attorney-General's office, as well as the reaction of the WHO before deciding what to do." He added they would then need to form a committee to decide the matter.

Habiba Al Marashi, chairwoman of Emirates Environmental Group, said: "This is being studied by responsible parties like WHO and the Food and Agricultural Organisation [FAO]. I am sure that any research they do is valuable and reliable, and the UAE is one of the countries which supports similar organisations.

"Companies should put this information on their packs. By doing this, they give consumers the option either to consume such foods or not."

Dr P. Shetty, consultant oncologist at Dubai's Welcare Hospital, said: "Acrylamide is a hydrocarbon. This is a serious issue, which has to be pointed out to the public.

"People should change their eating habits and eat what is fresh and try to reduce their consumption of fried or fatty foods."