FDA Issues Draft Guidance on Reducing Acrylamide in Foods

WASHINGTONThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today issued draft guidance for the food industry to help growers, manufacturers and foodservice operators take steps to reduce levels of acrylamide in certain foods.

Efforts to reduce acrylamide levels are already underway in many sectors throughout the food industry. In issuing the draft guidance, FDA seeks to support industry sectors that have taken a wait-and-see approach, and to help all companiesparticularly smaller ones with fewer resourcesreduce acrylamide in products susceptible to its formation.

Acrylamide is a chemical that can form in some foods during certain types of high-temperature cooking, such as frying, roasting and baking. Acrylamide in food is a concern because the National Toxicology Program (an interagency program that evaluates possible health risks associated with exposure to certain chemicals) characterizes the substance as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen."

To help mitigate potential human health risks, FDAs draft guidance recommends that companies be aware of the levels of acrylamide in the foods they produce and consider adopting approaches, if feasible, that reduce acrylamide in their products. The draft guidance also offers a range of possible approaches that growers, manufacturers and foodservice operators can take to help reduce acrylamide levels.

The draft guidance, which is non-binding, covers raw materials, processing practices, and ingredients affecting potato-based foods (such as french fries and potato chips), cereal-based foods (such as cookies, crackers, breakfast cereals and toasted bread) and coffee, each of which is a significant source of acrylamide exposure.

The draft guidance is part of a number of activities initiated by the FDA to study acrylamide in food and help manage potential risks to human health. For example, the FDA is planning to publish additional data on acrylamide levels in certain foods based on its recent data collection and analysis. A summary of the FDAs acrylamide work is available in a Q&A2 on the agencys website.

Because acrylamide is found primarily in potato-based foods, cereal-based foods and coffee, for consumers, FDAs best advice to help limit a persons acrylamide intake is to adopt a healthy eating plan, consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt and added sugars.