Board Meeting update on Acrylamide

Thursday 11 July 2002

In his monthly update report to the Food Standards Agency Board, Chief Executive Geoffrey Podger summarised the latest developments regarding acrylamide.

The Board were informed that the advice to consumers from the Expert Consultation called by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Food & Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in June is consistent with that issued by the Food Standards Agency. The Consultation concluded:

• The information available on acrylamide so far reinforces general advice on healthy eating. People should eat a balanced and varied diet, which includes plenty of fruit and vegetables, and should moderate their consumption of fried and fatty foods.
• An international network "Acrylamide in Food" should be established inviting all interested parties to share relevant data as well as ongoing investigations.

Additionally, the European Commission’s expert Scientific Committee on Food (SCF) considered acrylamide in food at its meeting on 1-3 July. Like the WHO/FAO Consultation, it concluded: “it is not possible at present to determine the actual risk from exposure to acrylamide in food”, and recommended that “levels of acrylamide in food should be as low as reasonably achievable”.

Both WHO/FAO and SCF made recommendations that further research should be carried out and co-ordinated internationally, to improve our understanding of the levels of acrylamide in various foods, how acrylamide is formed and whether its occurrence in food may be reduced, and the health effects of acrylamide.

The Food Standards Agency is determined to play a full role in these international research efforts. The Chairman has written to the European Commission, requesting that as a matter of priority, the EC co-ordinate research activity on acrylamide across the European Union.

The Agency continues to liase at official level with stakeholders and will publish further information, as it becomes available.

Geoffrey Podger also informed the Board of the concerns of Professor Peter Farmer, chair of the independent Committee on Mutagenicity, who also took part in the Expert Consultation, in relation to media reports of his views on acrylamide. Professor Farmer was misreported as expressing the view that the risk associated with acrylamide could be on a par with tobacco. Professor Farmer has advised the Agency that he does not believe this to be the case.