The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has filed a lawsuit against seven of the nation’s largest restaurant chains operating in California, according to the Nation’s Restaurant News. Washington, D.C.-based PCRM asserts that the operators failed to warn customers about the potential for consuming the carcinogen PhIP, which can occur when chicken is cooked at high temperatures, NRN reported. The chemical is among those listed under California’s Proposition 65, which requires businesses to warn the public about possible exposure to toxins that can cause cancer or reproductive harm, according to NRN. The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court Jan. 17 and targets Applebee’s International, which is owned by Glendale-based IHOP Inc., as well as McDonald’s Corp; Burger King Corp.; Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc.; Chick-fil-A; Brinker International; and OSI Restaurant Partners. A similar lawsuit filed in 2006 by PCRM was dismissed.
