Food watchdog names foods with high levels of cancer-linked chemical – including popular cereals and supermarket crisps
Some everyday items were found to have raised-levels of the cancer-linked chemical
THE food watchdog has named foods with high-levels of a cancer-linked chemical - and the list includes popular cereals and supermarket crisps.
The Food Standards Agency has released its annual survey of the levels of acrylamide found in 271 UK retail products, including chips, bread, cereals, biscuits, coffee, baby food, popcorn, cakes, pastries and chocolate.
Acrylamide is a natural chemical substance formed when starchy foods, such as potatoes and bread, are cooked at high temperatures - above 120C - and can be formed when foods are baked, fried, grilled, toasted or roasted.
, lab tests show that acrylamide in the diet causes cancer in animals, and scientists believe that acrylamide in food has the potential to cause cancer in humans as well.
Amongst the results, 15 samples of products sold in UK supermarkets were found to have raised levels of the chemical.
Crisps appeared to have the most raised levels of acrylamide, including JackPots lightly salted crisps, Burts hand cooked crisps with sea salt, Jackpots hand cooked lightly salted crisps, Seabrook sea salted potato crisps and cheese and onion, as well as Snackrite ready salted potato crisps.
Hovis brown bread with added wheat flakes, Sainsbury's wholegrain bran flakes, Co-op's own brand bran flakes, Askey's Wafers and Honey Monster Puffs cereal were also found to have higher levels of the chemical and Fox's Crinkle Crunch stem ginger biscuits, Cow & Gate spaghetti Bolognese and Organix apple rice cakes were on the list.
The FSA said the results of the from the January to December 2017 period do not increase their concern about the risk of acrylamide to human health and they will "not be changing the advice to consumers."
Previously, the watchdog warned Brits to at home by aiming for a "golden colour" when frying, baking, toasting or roasting starchy foods and to follow the cooking instructions on the packet when cooking packaged foods like chips and roast potatoes.
Last year, the FSA warned acrylamide could also be.
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At the time, FSA director of policy Steve Wearne said the warnings about the chemical are about managing the risk over a lifetime.
He said: “You can’t point to individual people and say that person has cancer because of the amount of acrylamide in their diet but because the mechanisms by which it does have this effect in animals are similar to the mechanisms you would expect to occur in humans it’s not something we can ignore.
"We’re not saying avoid particular foods or groups of foods but vary your diet so you smooth out your risk. We are not saying to people to worry about the occasional piece of food or meal that’s overcooked. This is about managing risk across your lifetime."
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