U.S. Probing Safety of Chemical in Heated Foods

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U.S. Probing Safety of Chemical in Some Heated Foods

 

Fri May 7, 4:04 PM ET

 

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. scientists are studying whether a chemical found in

certain canned, jarred and other foods may cause cancer in people, officials

said on Friday.

 

The chemical, called furan, is produced at low levels in some foods when they

are heated, the Food and Drug Administration (news - web sites) said.

 

" Some animal data suggests that high levels of furan exposure might have a

carcinogenic effect in humans, but its true effects in humans - especially at

such very low levels - are not known, " an FDA statement said.

 

FDA scientists tested a range of foods including canned fruits and vegetables,

jarred baby foods, spaghetti sauce and coffee. Furan levels varied widely.

 

" FDA's preliminary estimate of consumer exposure is well below the level that

would be expected to cause harmful effects, " Dr. Robert Brackett, director of

the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said.

 

The agency has scheduled a June 8 meeting to gather input from a panel of

outside experts on what types of data should be collected to assess the possible

impact of furan on people.

 

" Until more is known, FDA does not advise consumers to alter their diet, " Acting

FDA Commissioner Lester Crawford said.

 

The existence of furan in many types of foods has been long known, said Richard

Jarman, vice president of food and environmental policy for the National Food

Processors Association.

 

" The results of FDA's research are not a warning to consumers nor are they a

finding of risk associated with any particular foods or individual brands, "

Jarman said in a separate statement.

 

The FDA also has an ongoing assessment of whether another chemical found in some

foods, called acrylamide, may cause cancer. Acrylamide is naturally formed in

some starchy foods when they are fried, baked or roasted.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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