[tptacek]

Why stop with nitrates and nitrites? Acrylamide is a known human carcinogen, and occurs in a huge variety of cooking processes (including baking, frying, and grilling). If you eat potatoes, you're almost certainly putting yourself at more risk than aspartame is: we've got epidemiology and mechanism of action to back up the potato risk.

[likpok]

I believe California even helpfully warns you about any location that has acrylamide.

[nonethewiser]

So… restaurants?

[maxk42]

Literally yes. Every Starbucks in California has a little placard with that stupid warning to the point where people tune it out.

[sacnoradhq]

WARNING: This location contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.

Prop 65. It's everywhere in California and it's completely useless.

[scubbo]

> Congress passed legislation intended to make life better for people allergic to sesame seeds. Instead, it made things worse.

> The bill, passed with overwhelming bipartisan support and signed into law by President Biden in 2021, requires manufacturers to label sesame on their products starting this year.

> In response, some companies began adding sesame to products that hadn’t included it in the past—saying it was safer to add sesame and label it, rather than certify they had eliminated all traces of it.

> People with sesame allergies say the result is fewer sesame-free food options, as well as new and unexpected risks from sesame in foods they used to eat without worry.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/sesame-allergy-sufferers-wanted...

[barcode_feeder]

What's the danger with potatoes? Can you point me towards a study or something?

[gilgoomesh]

I think the poster meant "fried/roasted potatoes" (boiled are not included). Most Maillard reaction cooking involves a risk of creating potential carcinogens like acrylamide.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2118565-are-potatoes-no...

[barcode_feeder]

Which is what I figured and is a wholly disingenuous argument. Would love to see any research showing unseasoned boiled or baked potatoes being bad for you.

[tptacek]

Acrylamide has nothing at all to do with seasoning, and baking potatoes forms acrylamide (as will anything that browns a potato --- or that browns bread!).

[grvdrm]

Serious question: do you have kids and if so, what do you feed them if you avoid acrylamide? I’m constantly looking for alternatives for my kids and it feels like an endless game of whack-a-mole such that they do, sometimes anyways, eat the processed things because I can’t eradicate the junk from everything.

[tptacek]

I don't avoid acrylamide! How would I? :)

(I have 2 kids, but both are in their early 20s.)