FW: cooked foods dangerous: English newspaper

[Guest guest]

rawfoodnj, vegwriter@a... wrote:

World alert over cancer chemical in cooked food

By Robert Uhlig, Food Correspondent

(Filed: 18/05/2002)

 

 

A worldwide alert was issued last night after scientists

announced that much of the food we eat contains a chemical known

to cause cancer, damage the nervous system and affect fertility.

 

The Food Standards Agency said that its scientists had confirmed

recent Swedish findings that " significant levels " of acrylamide

occurs in fried, baked and processed foods ranging from biscuits,

bread and crisps to chips and possibly meat.

 

The finding has the potential to change the way certain types of

food are viewed, in much the same way that studies in the 1960s

changed perception of the health risks of smoking.

 

Acrylamide causes gene mutations leading to a range of cancers in

rats, including breast cancer, uterine cancer and tumours in the

adrenal glands and the internal lining of the scrotum.

 

Among the products tested in the British study - some of which

had levels of acrylamide 1,280 times higher than international

safety limits - were chipped and fried supermarket potatoes,

Walkers crisps, Ryvita crackers, Kellogg's Rice Crispies and

Pringles crisps.

 

The results have so alarmed health experts that they have called

international meetings to discuss what should be done.

 

The British and Swedish findings were presented yesterday to the

Scientific Committee on Food which advises the European

Commission on food safety.

 

World Health Organisation experts will discuss the research at a

special meeting in Geneva next month. It is expected to

recommend further studies.

 

According to the findings, acrylamide forms naturally in food

when it is fried or baked. The scientists believe it also occurs

in roasted, grilled and barbecued food.

 

As a genotoxic carcinogen, acrylamide is classified as a

" probable " cancer-causing chemical with no safe dose.

 

Diane Benford, a toxicologist at the FSA, said: " We cannot define

a safe level. We have to assume that at any level of exposure

there may be some risk, albeit very small. "

 

With 30 to 40 per cent of cancers caused by diet, Dr Benford said

 

that it was too early to say whether acrylamide was one of the

major causes of cancer.

 

Dr Benford said: " We are not advising any changes of diet or

cooking procedures because we do not know enough yet. "

 

Steve Wearne, head of contaminants at the FSA, said: " It's about

any food that's cooked this way. It appears that any of these

cooking processes in food production can lead to acrylamide

forming. It's not clear what the factors are that lead to

acrylamide formation; it may be due to the type of cooking,

temperature, or chemical composition of the food, or other

factors. "

 

However, the scientists have established that frying chips until

they are overcooked generates more acrylamide than cooking them

according to instructions on the packet.

 

European rules on the amount of acrylamide allowed in food

packaging allow no more than 10 parts per billion. Ross frying

chips were found to contain 200 ppb as sold - 20 times the

permitted level - and 3,500 ppb when cooked. However, when

overcooked, they contained 12,800 ppb - 1,280 times the permitted

level.

 

Sainsbury's baking potatoes contained less than the permitted 10

ppb when raw or boiled, but 310 ppb when chipped and fried.

Walker's ready-salted crisps contained 1,270 ppb; Dark Wholemeal

Rye Ryvita contained up to 4,000 ppb; Kellogg's Rice Crispies

contained 110 ppb and Pringles original crisps contained 1,480

ppb.

 

The Consumers' Association described the findings as a " worrying

development " .

 

Sue Davies, principal policy adviser, said: " More research into

the implications of this study need to be carried out. "

 

The British Retail Consortium and the Food and Drink Federation

issued a joint statement saying they shared the FSA's concern and

welcomed its advice. The statement added: " How acrylamide is

produced during processing and cooking is not known.

Manufacturers and retailers are committed to working with the

agency - and internationally - to establish the significance of

these findings for public health and to reduce consumers'

exposure. "

 

A Sainsbury's spokesman said: " We can reassure customers that

advice from the Food Standards Agency is that consumers should

not change their dietary habits. Food safety is of paramount

importance to us and we will continue to follow FSA advice. "

 

Various surveys have shown that we eat less fried food now than

previously, although about half of us cook with oil more than

once a week.

 

 

Related reports

 

How serious is the latest food scare?

 

 

External links

 

FSA Acrylamide Study: your questions answered [17 May '02] -

Food

Standards

Agency

 

Joint BRC/FDF statement on Acrylamide [17 May '02] - British

Retail

Consortium

 

Food and Drink Federation

 

Which Online - Consumers' Association

 

Scientific Committee on Food - Europa

 

Acrylamide - National Toxicology Program

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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