Analysis of Total Diet Study samples for acrylamide

Tuesday 11 January 2005

Food Survey Information Sheet 71/05

Since the initial 2002 discovery of unexpectedly large amounts of acrylamide in some foods, research has continued internationally to improve understanding of the toxicology, analytical methodology, formation and potential methods of reducing acrylamide levels in foods.

More than 200 research projects have been initiated around the world and this survey has been conducted as part of that international effort. The results of the survey form part of the wider international body of evidence and will be fed into the February 2005 Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives safety evaluation of acrylamide in food. The results of this survey do not affect Agency advice on what people should eat.

The aim of this study was to estimate the amount of acrylamide people are exposed to from food and to identify whether previously unconsidered food categories contributed significantly to acrylamide exposure. Acrylamide levels were measured in Total Diet Study samples; these food samples represent the average UK diet and sampled foods are prepared according to normal domestic practice. The results have been used to estimate dietary exposure to acrylamide for average and high level UK consumers and identify those foods that contribute to total dietary exposure.

UK consumers� estimated exposure to dietary acrylamide, based on the survey results, was similar to exposure estimates in other countries.

Acrylamide is known to cause cancer in animals. It is considered probable that it could also cause cancer in humans, although this is not certain. Overall the estimated levels of exposure that the survey found were at least 1000 times lower than the doses reported to cause cancer in laboratory rats. Since 2002 the food industry and other researchers have been working to reduce acrylamide levels in food.

Acrylamide was quantified in 7 of the 20 food groups tested. The dietary exposure estimates show that cereal-based products and potatoes are the main sources of acrylamide in the UK diet. Quantifiable amounts of acrylamide were found in the following groups; bread, miscellaneous cereals (includes products such as biscuits and breakfast cereals), poultry, meat and meat products, sugars and preserves and potatoes (which includes a range of cooked fresh and processed potatoes). Where appropriate, food in these groups had been prepared for consumption. No new sources of dietary acrylamide were identified.

This survey was commissioned to feed into the international research efforts to improve our understanding of acrylamide. The results of the survey do not affect Agency advice on what people should eat. The Food Standards Agency continues to recommend that people should eat a balanced healthy diet, including plenty of fruit and vegetables, bread, other cereals and potatoes and should limit the amount of sugary and fatty foods they eat, including fried food such as chips and crisps.