Would you buy one of Nathan's world famous frankfurters if you had to read a warning label first? Before you head out to Coney Island this weekend consider that three New Jersey residents have filed a class-action lawsuit against Nathan's Famous, Kraft Foods/Oscar Mayer, Sara Lee, Con Agra Foods and Marathon Enterprises.
The lawsuit filed on July 22 by the non-profit Cancer Project states that the aforementioned companies fail to warn consumers of the inherent cancer risks associated with their hot dogs. The suit contends that packaging should include the following: "Warning: Consuming hot dogs and other processed meats increases the risk of cancer."
"Just as tobacco causes lung cancer, processed meats are linked to colon cancer," says Neal Barnard, M.D., president of the Cancer Project. "Companies that sell hot dogs are well aware of the danger, and their customers deserve the same information."
The lawsuit is based on the findings found in the American Institute for Cancer Research's Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective report.
The report states that people who eat processed meats on a daily basis are 21 percent more likely to be at risk of colorectal cancer.
Drawn into the debate, the AICR has responded to the use of their study as a basis for the lawsuit. In looking for some context the AICR states, "A regular smoker has a risk of lung cancer that is between 10 and 20 times that of a nonsmoker. In contrast, a person who eats one hot dog every day has a 21 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer - not even two times the risk of someone who never eats hot dogs."
The AICR statement goes on to say that one-third of most cancers can be avoided by eating a healthy diet.
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