FOOD Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) is liaising with the Australian food industry to encourage and support them to examine ways in which manufacturing practices might be changed to reduce acrylamide formation in foods.
The joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/ World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) reviewed in February data on the safety of acrylamide and concluded that its presence in food may be a health concern.
Acrylamide is a chemical that forms in certain foods when cooked at high temperatures (greater than 120°C).
The major foods in which acrylamide has been detected are fried or roasted potato products, coffee and cereal-based products (sweet biscuits, bread, rolls and toast).
Acrylamide has been shown to cause cancer in some studies in experimental animals although further studies are underway to better understand the significance of these results in relation to human health. These studies will be evaluated by JECFA when available in two to three years.
There is no direct evidence that acrylamide causes cancer in humans.