Mr. Potato Head is Dangerous

Hello readers! As promised last time, I've learned in my Environmental Health Science class that there is one brand of potato chips that is super dangerous to eat, so much so that a lawsuit filed and won in the state of California has banned this particular brand from being sold in the state: Cape Cod Robust Russet chips.

For those of you who do not live in California, see below for information on the toxic spud:

Public knowledge of the serious dangers found in potato chips may finally be surfacing. The California-based Environmental Law Foundation (ELF) has filed notices with the state's attorney general against potato chip manufacturers that would require them to place labels on their products warning consumers about the high levels of acrylamide found inside.

Acrylamide is formed when starchy foods are baked or fried at high temperatures and is considered a cancer-causing chemical by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Manufacturers who sell their products without such warnings are in violation of California law (California Proposition 65).

A report developed by the ELF listed just how far various chip brands exceeded the state's required warning levels for acrylamide. The offenders include:

Cape Cod Robust Russet: 910 times

Kettle Chips (lightly salted): 505 times

Kettle Chips (honey dijon ): 495 times

Pringles Snack Stacks (pizza-flavored): 170 times

Lay's Baked: 150 times

Clearly, Mr. Potato Head has crossed over to the dark side. So sad. Another really bad offender to stay away from as well: microwave popcorn. Super, super bad. Why? Read about it here.