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Monday, April 14, 2003Lawsuits filed Thursday in Los Angeles and San Francisco superior courts claim that restaurants such as Morton's, Ruth's Chris Steak House and Benihana, were not following Proposition 65 guidelines. The guidelines require businesses to post warnings when they expose people to carcinogens. The lawsuits claim the restaurants serve fresh or frozen swordfish, tuna or shark, which contain enough mercury compounds to trigger the law's provisions. The state is seeking an injunction requiring the restaurants to post warnings, as well as civil penalties of $2,500 per day for each violation. Other affected chains are Red Lobster and Olive Garden (Darden Restaurants); Chili's, Macaroni Grill and Little Italy (Brinker International); Outback and Roy's (Outback); Chart House (Landry's Restaurants); Bennigan's (Metromedia Restaurant Group); Cheesecake Factory; Hof's Hut; Claim Jumper; and P.F. Chang's China Bistro. Has anyone ever seen a case of clinical mercury poisoning from eating fish at a restaurant? Has anyone in the United States seen a case of clinical mercury poisoning that wasn’t related to occupational exposure? I couldn’t find any. Which brings up the point the restaurant owners make: "Certainly mercury is an issue," said Greg Ochinero, board member of the California Restaurant Association's Silicon Valley Chapter. "But ... I can't imagine why the blame would be laid upon the restaurant industry. They aren't the ones that cause the pollution that puts the mercury in the food in the first place." posted by Sydney on 4/14/2003 08:06:00 AM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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