Acrylamide Study: Frying Oils at High Temps. Create Harmful Acrylamides

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Acrylamide Study: Frying Oils at High Temps. Create

Harmful " Acrylamides

 

FSA *Acrylamide* Study-Answers to questions you may have.

What is the problem?

 

Recent research from Sweden-(published 24 April 2002)

shows that frying and baking creates high levels of acrylamide –

(a potential cancer-causing chemical)in a wide range of food.

 

Acrylamide was not known to occur at these levels in food before

this research.

 

 

What is acrylamide?

 

Acrylamide is a chemical that appears to be produced naturally in

food as a result of frying.

It is also likely to be produced by grilling and roasting food.

 

 

What do we know about acrylamide and its *health risks*?

 

On the basis of animal data and understanding of its biological

effects,

acrylamide is considered to be a probable human " carcinogen " .

 

It has caused nerve damage in people who have

been exposed to it at work.

In studies on male animals, acrylamide was shown to impair

fertility.

 

As acrylamide has only very recently been discovered in food at

these levels, practically nothing is known about its effects on

humans via the diet.

 

The FSA believes that exposure to DNA damaging carcinogens

such as acrylamide should be as low as reasonably practicable.

 

What did the FSA do in response to the Swedish results?

 

The FSA took these new and unexpected findings extremely seriously.

We published a statement (24 April 2002) and commissioned our own

study to see if we could replicate the Swedish finding on some UK

foods.

 

The UK results were very similar to the Swedish findings.

 

 

What did the FSA research find?

 

The research found significant levels of acrylamide in a range of

commonly consumed foods at home or in mass production.

The Agency surveyed a limited range of

chips, crisps, crispbreads and cereals.

 

From the information available, it seems likely

that acrylamide will

also be found in other foods cooked in the same way.

 

What does the research tell us?

 

This research suggests that acrylamide is formed in foods when they

are fried.

 

No significant levels were found in raw or boiled foods. However,

little is known as yet about how or why this occurs.

 

 

Is this a new risk?

 

No. Acrylamide appears to be formed in food by common cooking

practices and so people are likely to have been exposed to acrylamide

through this route for some considerable time.

 

 

How serious a risk is acrylamide to human health?

 

Eating is not a completely risk-free activity.

Acrylamide is one of many substances we are exposed to in food that

may be detrimental to our health,

including immediate risks such as food poisoning from not cooking

food thoroughly.

 

Most of our food contains some level of substances that could

contribute to cancer.

It does not mean it will do. There are many

causes of cancer, which include lifestyle,

environmental, tobacco and so on, and some people are more

susceptible than others to particular factors.

 

 

Is acrylamide an immediate risk?

 

No, any possible risks to human health from

acrylamide in food would arise from long term exposure.

 

 

Can we measure the risk to human health?

 

The UK independent Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in

Food,

Consumer Products and the Environment (COC)

does not consider it valid to calculate numbers

of anticipated human cancer cases from the

results of animal studies.

 

The COC decided that such calculations give an

impression of precision, which cannot be justified from the

assumptions made relating to the biological events leading to cancer

and the different nature of exposure.

 

In fact, different methods of calculating risk

can lead to estimates that differ by several orders of magnitude.

 

Additionally, the COC advises that exposure to

DNA damaging carcinogens such as acrylamide should

be as low as reasonably practicable.

 

We do not allow such carcinogens to be added to food. If

they are found to occur naturally, then we will take action to

determine what is reasonably practicable in order to apply this

principle.

 

Why has it taken until now to identify its presence in food?

It was not previously known that acrylamide could or would be

produced during cooking.

 

It was discovered as a result of a chance finding in Swedish studies

on the health risks to workers who had

been exposed at work to acrylamide, in a way that was unconnected to

food.

 

The control group for this study, who had not had been exposed

to acrylamide at work, showed evidence of unexpectedly high levels

of acrylamide in their bodies.

 

This chance finding led Swedish

researchers to undertake further work to look at the possibility of

acrylamide being present in foods, something that had not been

considered previously.

 

 

Should we be cooking our food for shorter periods

of time in order to reduce our exposure to acrylamide in food?

 

No, all food, especially meat,should be cooked properly to destroy

food poisoning bacteria.

 

 

Is it possible that your findings are due to acrylamide migrating

into food from food packaging?

 

Since polyacrylamide may be used by the paper and board industry,

the

FSA has carried out a survey to test whether residual acrylamide is

present in retail paper and board packaging materials

for food, and,

if so, whether there is any detectable migration to foodstuffs.

 

The

main conclusion of this survey is that it is very unlikely that

paper

and board packaging is a source of acrylamide in food. There are EU-

wide legal controls on acrylamide migration from plastics into food.

 

 

What can be done to avoid acrylamide in food?

There are no practical ways in which it can be avoided.

 

A healthy, balanced diet, including plenty of fruit and vegetables

will help to protect against some cancers.

 

 

What's being done next?

 

The recent World Health Organisation (WHO)

consultation on the health effects of acrylamide

in food concluded that more scientific research is needed.

 

The consultation recommended that an

international " Acrylamide in Food " network should be established so

that relevant data and investigations can be co-ordinated between

interested parties. The European Scientific Committee on Food (SCF)

has endorsed this recommendation.

 

 

What is the FSA doing?

 

Following the WHO meeting the Agency issued a statement on the

discussions and welcomed the WHO initiative to create a network of

international research bodies, so that leading experts in the field

can share expertise and work to develop an understanding of the

presence of acrylamide in foods. The agency will continue to

contribute to European and International research efforts and will

keep the public informed of future developments.

 

 

What about the food industry?

 

The Agency has shared its advice with stakeholders including the

food industry.

 

Our aim will be to work with the food industry to increase

knowledge and understanding.

 

What implications there might be for the

food industry are uncertain at this point.

 

 

Are home-cooked rather than pre-cooked,packaged or processed foods

safer?

 

The Agency's work included both tests on pre-cooked,

processed and packaged foods and chips that

were prepared from potatoes and cooked

by the researchers as part of the tests.

 

High levels were found in

these home cooked foods, as well as the

pre-cooked, packaged and processed foods.

 

 

Can I still eat chips and crisps?

 

The Agency is not advising people to stop eating any of the foods

sampled in this test. However, the Agency advises that as part of a

balanced diet you should limit the amount of fried and fatty foods

you eat, including chips and crisps.

 

 

Is it only fried foods that are affected? What about roasted,

barbecued or grilled?

 

From the limited research conducted all the above cooking methods

could affect the acrylamide levels found in food.

 

 

Is acrylamide found in boiled food?

 

As far as we know from the limited research to date, boiling food

does not appear to contribute to the formation of acrylamide.

 

 

So should I change my diet as a result of these new findings?

 

No, we are not advising consumers to change their diet. Acrylamide

would appear to be present in many common foods but it is not

possible to have a balanced diet without incurring some risk.

 

There are considerable benefits to be gained from eating a healthy,

balanced diet including at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables

per day.

 

 

Are there any safe limits set for acrylamide?

 

Yes. The substances used to manufacture food

contact plastics are controlled by harmonised European rules that

have been fully implemented in the UK.

 

There is a stringent limit for the amount of

acrylamide allowed to migrate from the food contact plastic into

food.

 

The specific migration limit in force means that acrylamide

migrating

into food from food contact plastic should not be detectable at a

limit of 0.01 milligrams per kilogram of food.

 

This means it should

not be found at or above a level of 10 parts per billion.

 

This limit only applies to acrylamide migrating into food from food

contact

plastic, and is not applicable to acrylamide that forms during

cooking.

 

 

 

Why is acrylamide used in the treatment of drinking water?

 

It is used as a cleaning agent, combining with solid material making

it easier to filter/remove unwanted substances from the water.

Acrylamide is used because it is the only polymer that will

adequately remove certain particulates from water.

..

 

Is there a maximum limit for acrylamide in water?

 

There is a legal limit set by the EU for drinking water. This is set

at 0.1 microgram per litre of water.

 

 

Where else is acrylamide used?

 

It is used in the manufacturing of plastics and is strictly

controlled by European environment regulations.

 

FSA Acrylamide Study: your questions answered

 

http://www.foodstandards.gov.uk/multimedia/webpage/acrylamide_study_f