California EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has issued a notice of its intent to list acrylamide, a chemical formed when certain foods have been cooked at high temperatures, as a reproductive toxicant under Proposition 65 (Prop. 65). According to OEHHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and the National Toxicology Program’s Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction have both determined that acrylamide is a developmental, male reproductive toxin. Under Prop. 65, a chemical must be listed when an authoritative body formally identifies the chemical as causing reproductive toxicity and the evidence it considered meets certain sufficiency criteria. Public comments must be submitted by April 27, 2010. Noting the significant public interest in the chemical, which has been found in baked goods and cooked starchy foods such as potato chips and French fries, OEHHA has also published a notice of proposed rulemaking that…
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A recent study has reportedly linked dry food containing low amounts of carbohydrates to increased acrylamide levels. Edoardo Capuano, et al., “Lipid oxidation promotes acrylamide formation in fat-rich model systems,” Food Research International, (January 2010). Sponsored by the European Science Foundation, researchers formulated a range of fat-rich model systems and then measured acrylamide levels after heating. Results apparently showed that the degree of fat oxidation significantly influenced the presence of acrylamide, a chemical by product of some high-temperature cooking processes that has been linked to cancer in laboratory rats. According to the study’s abstract, foods formulated with antioxidants such as catechins and certain oils reduced acrylamide levels particularly in fat-rich, sugar-free foods “presumably by trapping carbohydrates and/or preventing lipid oxidation. More acrylamide was formed in model systems composed with sunflower oil than in those containing palm oil which is less susceptible to oxidation.” The abstract noted that acrylamide formation was…
The European Chemicals Agency (EHCA) has announced that in January 2010 its Member State Committee will add acrylamide to the European Union’s Candidate List of substances of very high concern (SVHC). The chemical by-product of high-temperature cooking processes has been linked to cancer in laboratory rats. According to ECHA, the Candidate List represents the first step in the authorization procedure to include SVCHs in Annex XIV of the REACH Regulation, after which time “they cannot be placed on the market or used after a date to be set (the so-called ‘sunset date’) unless the company is granted an authorization.” In addition to 14 other substances, the agency has proposed listing acrylamide as a category two carcinogen and a category two mutagen, but “decisions on the need to subject these substances to authorization will be taken later.”
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the period for comments and scientific data and information on acrylamide in food as it considers industry guidance on this issue. In response to a request for a 60-day extension, FDA will accept written comments and scientific data until January 25, 2010. In its original request for comments and data published in the August 26, 2009, Federal Register, FDA described acrylamide as “a chemical that can form in some foods during certain types of high-temperature cooking,” and sought information from manufacturers on how to measure and reduce acrylamide levels in food. The agency asked responders to provide detailed feedback about: (i) techniques for acrylamide mitigation; (ii) best monitoring practices; (iii) standard practices for the delivery, storage, temperature control, reconditioning, and screening of potatoes; (iv) changes to food packaging instructions and other measures that can reduce acrylamide levels during a product’s final preparation by…
The Department of Health and Human Service’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has posted on its website a draft toxicological profile for acrylamide, a chemical by-product of some high-temperature cooking processes that has been linked to cancer in laboratory rats. The agency is accepting public comments on the profile until February 26, 2010.
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) is reportedly seeking comments on a proposal to include acrylamide on its hazardous chemicals list along with 14 additional “Substances of Very High Concern” (SVHC). Tendered by the European Environment Agency and several member states, the proposal would classify acrylamide, which forms in some foods during high-temperature cooking, as a category 2 carcinogen and a category 2 mutagen. If unanimously confirmed as an SVHC by ECHA’s Member State Committee, acrylamide would become eligible for the list of substances subject to authorization under EU’s REACH legislation. ECHA will accept comments focusing on the hazardous properties of acrylamide until October 15, 2009. See FoodProductionDaily. com and IHS News, September 2, 2009. In a related development, new consumer research has reportedly shown that a majority of U.S. consumers are unaware of acrylamide as a suspected carcinogen, even as governmental actions in North America have intensified to deal with…
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a request for “comments and scientific data and information on acrylamide in food,” noting that the agency is considering industry guidance on this issue. Describing acrylamide as “a chemical that can form in some foods during certain types of high-temperature cooking,” the agency is seeking information from manufacturers on how to measure and reduce acrylamide levels in food. The agency has also asked responders to provide detailed feedback about: (i) techniques for acrylamide mitigation; (ii) best monitoring practices; (iii) standard practices for the delivery, storage, temperature control, reconditioning, and screening of potatoes; (iv) changes to food packaging instructions and other measures that can reduce acrylamide levels during a product’s final preparation by consumers; (v) food types for which the agency could recommend target acrylamide levels; and (vi) achievable acrylamide levels for french fries, potato chips, breakfast cereals, coffee, cookies, and other baked goods…
During a recent week-long meeting in Rome, Italy, the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) adopted more than 30 standards and guidelines designed to protect consumers’ health, such as cutting the levels of potential cancer-causing chemicals and bacteria in foods. Among the rules adopted by the joint body of the United Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization were measures to reduce acrylamide, a chemical by-product of high-temperature cooking processes that has allegedly been linked to cancer. “Applying Codex standards and guidelines are an important part of ensuring that consumers in every part of the world can be protected from unsafe food,” an FAO spokesperson was quoted as saying. CAC also adopted criteria for Salmonella and other bacteria in powdered formula for children ages 6 months and older and microbiological testing parameters aimed at helping producers control and prevent contamination of ready-to-eat foods with Listeria. See Reuters; FoodNavigator-USA.com, July…
Environmental World Watch, Inc. (EWW) has reportedly filed litigation under California’s Proposition 65 (Prop. 65) against a number of companies that make snack foods. According to the attorneys who litigate as this advocacy organization, the companies fail to warn consumers that their products contain acrylamide, a chemical formed when certain foods such as breads, french fries and potato chips are made; it is included on the state’s list of substances known to cause cancer. Filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, the suit apparently seeks punitive damages for fraudulent concealment and Prop. 65 violations. EWW has previously brought Prop. 65 claims involving acrylamide against fast food restaurants. More information about that litigation appears in issue 5 of this Update. See CourtHouse News, June 10, 2009.
A recent study has reportedly found no positive association between dietary acrylamide intake and brain cancer. Janneke G.F. Hogervorst, et al., “Dietary Acrylamide Intake and Brain Cancer Risk,” Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, Vol. 18 (2009). Dutch researchers surveyed the dietary habits of 58,279 men and 62,573 women ages 55 through 69 who were enrolled in the Netherlands Cohort Study on Diet and Cancer. The subjects’ dietary sources of acrylamide, the chemical by-product created by baking, frying and toasting foods at high temperatures, included potato chips, French fries, Dutch spiced cake, coffee, bread, and cookies. After adjusting for possible brain cancer risk factors, researchers concluded that hazard ratios for acrylamide were not significantly increased when dietary intake was analyzed as a categorical variable. These same researchers have also concluded that dietary acrylamide is not linked to an increased risk of lung cancer. Those findings were covered in issue 302 of…
