HEALTH: More Studies Needed on Carcinogen in French Fries, says UN

By Gustavo Capdevila Reprint | | Print |

Gustavo Capdevila

GENEVA, Jun 28 2002 (IPS) - Research on a carcinogenic substance found in french fries and other starchy foods cooked at high temperatures will be extended to developing countries, two United Nations agencies announced.

Studies carried out in laboratories in several European countries and the United States showed that the cooking process involved in the preparation of certain foods produces acrylamide, a chemical substance that causes cancer in animals and may do so in human beings as well.

An expert consultation organised this week by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) concluded that “the issue of acrylamide in food is a major concern.”

But the 23 scientific experts specialising in carcinogenicity, toxicology, food technology, biochemistry and analytical chemistry added that further information was needed to determine the risks to human health.

The two UN agencies decided to set up an international network to investigate acrylamide and its potential effects on human health.

FAO nutritional expert Manfred Luetzow said information was needed not only from Europe and North America, but on typical foods from regions like Africa and Latin America as well, and that a range of different diets must be studied.

The research, which was conducted by laboratories in Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and the United States, found a high level of acrylamide in certain starch-based foods cooked at above 120 degrees Celsius, like potato chips, french fries, cookies, processed cereals and some kinds of bread.

A Swedish team of researchers first reported last April that it had found that certain foods baked or fried at high temperatures contained high amounts of the substance.

Acrylamide is a chemical used for different industrial purposes, especially in water treatment and the manufacturing of plastics. It is a known carcinogen and causes nerve damage.

Although scientists have not yet reached any firm conclusions, there are indications that acrylamide is produced during the baking, grilling or frying of certain starch-rich foods.

Dieter Arnold with the German Federal Institute for Consumer Protection explained that research into the question has just begun, and that only 200 kinds of food have been investigated so far.

“After reviewing all the available data, we have concluded that the new findings constitute a serious problem. But our current limited knowledge does not allow us to answer all the questions which have been asked by consumers, regulators and other interested parties,” said Dieter, who chaired the WHO/FAO meeting.

“On the information we currently have we cannot give consumers very specific advice such as ‘please avoid eating chips of this and that brand’,” said Arnold.

The only advice is to eat a balanced, healthy diet, including “plenty of fruit and vegetables,” and only moderate amounts of fried and fatty foods, he added.

The researchers found that acrylamide has a carcinogenic potential comparable to substances found in grilled or fried meat, specifically aromatic hydrocarbon, noted Jorgen Schlundt, WHO coordinator of food safety.

Researchers are aware that the origins of many kinds of cancer lie in food, some of which are likely caused by acrylamide, said Schlundt.

“If we can modify the ways we produce food so that we get less acrylamide, we will have less cases of cancer,” he underlined.

Arnold observed that the substance has been found to cause cancer of the thyroid, the female mammary glands, the male testicles, the oral cavity and other organs in lab animals.

Acrylamide will be added as a priority item to the agenda of the forthcoming meeting of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives for a closer assessment.

Schlundt pointed out that the methodology employed in the research on acrylamide is not complex, and could be used in some laboratories in developing regions like Africa.

The network that WHO and FAO plan to set up will link laboratories in industrialised countries with their counterparts in developing nations that have the capacity to carry out such tests.

The two UN agencies already have a network of laboratories in developing countries, which carry out chemical testing. The results of tests on acrylamide will provide “a more full picture,” said Schlundt.

The WHO/FAO meeting concluded that more research was needed to determine how acrylamide is formed during the cooking process. The experts also recommended epidemiological studies of relevant cancers in humans, and studies of acrylamide in other foods, including those present in non-European and North American diets.