The European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has confirmed previous evaluations that, based on animal studies, acrylamide in food potentially increases the risk of developing cancer for consumers in all age groups.
Acrylamide is produced by the same chemical reaction that ‘browns’ food. Coffee, fried potato products, biscuits, crackers and crisp breads, soft bread and certain baby foods are important dietary sources of acrylamide, said EFSA.
European and national authorities already recommend reducing acrylamide in food as much as possible and provide dietary and food preparation advice to consumers and food producers.
EFSA has launched a public consultation on its draft scientific opinion on acrylamide in food, developed by the authority’s expert panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain (CONTAM).
Scientists and other interested parties have until 15 September 2014 to comment on the draft opinion through an online public consultation. Before finalising their opinion, Members of the CONTAM panel will discuss this feedback together with the contributors to the online public consultation at a public meeting later this year.
The chair of the CONTAM panel, Dr Diane Benford, said: “Acrylamide consumed orally is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, distributed to all organs and extensively metabolised. Glycidamide, one of the main metabolites from this process, is the most likely cause of the gene mutations and tumours seen in animal studies.”
However, Dr Benford pointed out that “so far, human studies on occupational and dietary exposure to acrylamide have provided limited and inconsistent evidence of increased risk of developing cancer”.
Apart from cancer, the panel also considered possible harmful effects of acrylamide on the nervous system, pre- and post-natal development and male reproduction. These effects were not considered to be a concern, based on current levels of dietary exposure.
