Acrylamide levels: a cause for concern
Back in May 2007 the European Commission published a Recommendation (2007/331/EC) on the monitoring of acrylamide levels in food. This directed Member States to sample certain foodstuffs from their home markets to check levels of acrylamide. Sampling programmes are to run for three years and the UK sampling results for 2007 were recently published by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
The UK results are reported in the FSA factsheet, available online, and will be forwarded to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which will collate data from across the bloc. A review of dietary exposure will be carried out by EFSA at the end of the three-year study and will inform any review of scientific advice which can precede formal controls.
Concerns about acrylamide (a suspected carcinogen) in foods, particularly starchy food heated to high temperatures, were first raised in 2002. Since then, the industry has been working to reduce it. In 2005, the CIAA (Confederation of the Food and Drink Industries of the EU) launched a toolbox of solutions to help manufacturers. This was updated last year, and is a live tool available through the European Commission website, which manufacturers are advised to consult.
The current monitoring programme is intended in particular to monitor the effectiveness of acrylamide reduction measures as specified in the CIAA toolbox. Ongoing monitoring will track the same products as far as possible but companies working in the same sectors (especially those working with potato snacks) would be well advised to benchmark their products against the results found.
While acrylamide levels are not specifically regulated, all foods are required to be safe. If a downward trend is not found, the voluntary measures underway could be replaced with statutory limits.
''Kath Veal is business manager, Regulatory and Technical Consultancy Services at Leatherhead Food International
