ACRYLAMIDE LEVELS IN FOOD: PASSING THE HOT POTATO

The report analyzes EFSA data from 2007-2014, finding that acrylamide levels in many European foods remain unchanged or are increasing despite voluntary industry 'toolboxes'. It highlights significant benchmark exceedances in baby foods and specific products in Belgium and Denmark, concluding that the European Commission's proposal to mandate codes of practice without setting enforceable legal limits is insufficient to protect consumers.

• Analysis of food groups shows no substantial overall trend toward lower acrylamide levels. While potato crisps, snacks, crisp bread, biscuits, and crackers showed a slight downward trend, levels in roasted coffee, gingerbread, and French fries remained unchanged or increased.
• Approximately 12% of the analyzed food products (2,200 samples) exceeded the European Commission's indicative benchmark levels, with similar percentages found in products produced both inside and outside the European Economic Area.
• Extreme concentrations of acrylamide were detected in specific samples: instant coffee in Belgium reached 38,000 μg/Kg (42 times the benchmark) and French fries in Denmark reached 7,900 μg/Kg (13 times the benchmark).
• Baby foods and processed cereal products for infants showed severe contamination, with some samples in Germany, the UK, and the Czech Republic exceeding benchmarks by 10 to 30 times. In 2014, 28% of processed cereal foods for infants and 12% of baby foods exceeded the EC benchmark.
• The highest percentages of samples exceeding EC benchmarks were recorded in Greece (75%), followed by Estonia and Sweden (20%), Belgium and Ireland (18%), Italy (17%), Norway (16%), Austria (15%), and Spain and Finland (14%).
• The report argues that the European Commission's current legislative proposal is inadequate because it mandates the application of industry codes of practice but fails to set enforceable, legally binding maximum limits for acrylamide.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (n.d.). ACRYLAMIDE LEVELS IN FOOD: PASSING THE HOT POTATO. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/PASSING-THE-HOT-POTATO.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. ACRYLAMIDE LEVELS IN FOOD: PASSING THE HOT POTATO. n.d. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/PASSING-THE-HOT-POTATO.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=ACRYLAMIDE LEVELS IN FOOD: PASSING THE HOT POTATO |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/PASSING-THE-HOT-POTATO.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundationndacrylamide, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{ACRYLAMIDE LEVELS IN FOOD: PASSING THE HOT POTATO}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/PASSING-THE-HOT-POTATO.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }