U.S. Group Seeks Limits on Acrylamide in Foods

A consumer group on Wednesday petitioned the U.S. government to limit levels of a possible cancer-causing chemical in potato chips, cookies, coffee, bread and certain other foods.

The chemical, acrylamide, causes cancer in animals, and high doses have been linked to nerve damage in people. But the Food and Drug Administration said it does not yet know whether the lower levels found in foods are harmful to humans. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, however, said evidence suggested setting maximum acceptable levels of acrylamide in various foods likely would prevent cancer in tens of thousands of Americans. Acrylamide probably causes about a thousand new U.S. cancer cases per year, said Michael Jacobson, the group’s executive director. “Acrylamide is a powerful carcinogen and is definitely something one wants less of in food,” Jacobson said at a news conference. An FDA spokeswoman, who requested anonymity, said the agency would review the petition. The agency has been actively studying the issue and is seeking more information about acrylamide’s risks to people before taking regulatory action, she said. She said the consumer group had based its estimate of human cancer cases on animal studies. Such data alone “should not be used to estimate the number of human cases because of the uncertainty associated with extrapolation from high-level dietary exposure in rodents and low-level human dietary exposures,” the FDA spokeswoman said. Scientists are working to determine how exactly how acrylamide is formed in food. Recent studies suggest foods rich in an amino acid called asparagine and glucose can form acrylamide when cooked at high temperatures. FDA tests have found acrylamide levels vary widely among foods, and even from one bag of potato chips to another of the same brand. The consumer group asked the FDA to set “interim acceptable levels” of acrylamide based on the median found for each category of certain foods. The call to limit acrylamide is at odds with health experts’ current recommendations, food processing industry representatives said, noting that the FDA has not urged changes to people’s diets based on acrylamide levels. The agency has said it is sticking with advice to eat a balanced diet. Food manufacturers have been studying whether acrylamide presents a health hazard and how levels may be reduced, said Rick Jarman, vice president for regulatory affairs for the National Food Processors Association. Companies are working with the FDA and academics “to try and get some firm answers and not just speculation,” Jarman said. (Source: Reuters Health: Lisa Richwine: 4th June 2003)