SACRAMENTO – The California Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit earlier this month against California Attorney General Xavier Becerra to end the requirement for Proposition 65 warnings on acrylamide in food and beverages.
“The effect of too many bogus warnings is no warnings,” said CalChamber President and CEO Allan Zaremberg said in a press release. “This case is about clarifying for both businesses and consumers that food does not require Proposition 65 warnings for acrylamide. This will reduce unnecessary fear for consumers and litigation threats for businesses.”
Acrylamide forms naturally in many types of foods and beverage when cooked at high temperatures, but the Chamber says there’s no evidence that it's linked to cancer.
California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse Regional Director Maryann Marino
| Photo courtesy of California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse
The Chamber is not alone in its stance against unwarranted Proposition 65 litigation, as other high-profile organizations across the state have been outspoken in their desire for reforming the law.
“CALA is happy to see CalChamber working hard to protect small businesses from abusive and meritless lawsuits,” California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) Regional Director Maryann Marino said. “Prop. 65 was passed with the best of intentions, but it’s been manipulated by trial lawyers to generate revenue streams based on shakedown lawsuits.”
First implemented in 1986, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, or Proposition 65, was passed with the intention of protecting the state’s drinking water sources from being contaminated with chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm.
The law requires businesses to inform consuers about exposures to such chemicals and requires the state to maintain and update a list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity.
The Office Environmental Health Hazard Assessment last July proposed modified amendments to Proposition 65 that could increase the amount of warnings on food products – potentially leading to even more concerns for the Golden State.