Acrylamide
Commission Recommendation 2007/331/EC (OJ L123, p33, 12/05/2007 ) of 3 May 2007 on the monitoring of acrylamide levels in food
Acrylamide may be formed in foods, typically carbohydrate-rich and protein-low plant commodities, during cooking or other thermal processing such as frying, baking or roasting at temperatures of 120 °C or higher. The Scientific Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) adopted on 19 April 2005 a statement on acrylamide in food in which it endorsed the risk assessment on acrylamide in food carried out by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) in February 2005. In that assessment JECFA concluded that the margins of exposure for average and high consumers were low for a compound that is genotoxic and carcinogenic and that this may indicate a human health concern.
In Commission Recommendation 2007/331/EC, the Commission states that it is necessary to collect reliable data on acrylamide levels in food over at least a three-year time span across the Community in order to get a clear picture of the levels of acrylamide in those foodstuffs that are known to contain high acrylamide levels and/or contribute significantly to the dietary intake of the whole population and of specific vulnerable groups, such as infants and young children. It recommends therefore that Member States perform annually in 2007, 2008 and 2009, in accordance with Annex 1 of Recommendation 2007/331/EC the monitoring of acrylamide levels in the foodstuffs referred to in that Annex. it is recommended that Member States provide by 1 June each year the monitoring data of the previous year to EFSA with the information and in the format as set out in Annex II for compilation
into one database.
For the purpose of the monitoring programme, it is recommended that Member States follow the sampling procedures as laid down in part B of the Annex to Commission Regulation (EC) No 333/2007 of 28 March 2007 on the methods of sampling and analysis for the official control of the levels of lead, cadmium, mercury, inorganic tin, 3-MCPD and benzo(a)- pyrene in foodstuffs in order to ensure that the samples are representative for the sampled lot.
The Commission is coordinating several initiatives in the EU on identifying ways to reduce levels of acrylamide in food, to better understand the chemical effects of processing and cooking and to help clarify the possible risk to public health, further information on these initiatives can be viewed on the Europa website at:
http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/chemicalsafety/contaminants/acrylamide_en.htm
Download EFSA's Acrylamide Infographic which explains how acrylamide is formed and how to reduce exposure to it
Last reviewed: 7/10/2014