Acrylamide in Food – EU versus FDA Approaches

Abstract

Acrylamide is a versatile organic compound that finds its way into many products in our everyday life. The presence of acrylamide in foods dates from 2002, when a series of studies published in Sweden, confirmed its presence in high temperatures processed foods. At EU level, first adopted measure was Commission Recommendation on the monitoring of acrylamide levels in food , on May 2007, extended then by Commission Recommendation 2010/307/EU . European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) then, collected and compiled data, each year (2007-2010), and published an annual report. On January 2011 was adopted the Recommendation on the investigations into the levels of acrylamide in food and then, on November 2013 was adopted Commission Recommendation 2013/647/EU on investigation into levels of acrylamide in food . Based on these, EFSA had published, in June 2015 a comprehensive risk assessment on acrylamide in food. The FDA first published a draft regarding Detection and Quantitation of Acrylamide in Foods , in 2003 followed in 2004 by the Action Plan for Acrylamide in Food . In 2006 FDA published Survey Data on Acrylamide in food then in 2009, in August (updated in November) a Federal Register Notice entitled: Acrylamide in food: Request for comments and for scientific data and information . Their findings have been materialized, in November 2013, into a powerful tool for industry: Draft Guidance for industry: Acrylamide in Foods . Despite research implications that exposure to acrylamide from food is safe, some consumers may choose to take measures to further reduce their acrylamide exposure.