Acrylamide Update: French Fries and Cancer

by Kevin Coupe

According to a joint US-Sweden study being published in the British Journal of Cancer, there is no correlation between the intake of acrylamides in food and the occurrence of cancer.

While virtually no consumers even knew what acrylamides were a year ago, the word became all-too-familiar when what was described as “potentially dangerous levels” of acrylamides in fried and baked starchy foods were detected by a Swedish food agency. To that point, acrylamides had been found to cause cancer in rodents but not in humans. The Swedish scientists went public with their findings even before having them published and reviewed in the usual scientific journals. Some people took their haste to suggest that they were incorrect, but their findings were then confirmed by British authorities, and then again by Norway’s National Food Authority. The Norwegian agency specifically recommended that people who eat a lot of potato chips should cut back on their consumption, since this particular food had the highest levels of acrylamides. “Medium” levels were found in French fries, and “low” levels were found in breads.

Then, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) in the US released findings that supported the Swedish studies, saying that the amount of acrylamides in a large order of fast-food French fries was at least 300 times more than what the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allows in a glass of water. CSPI suggested that consumers change their diets because of the findings, eliminating or cutting back on products that are fried or baked at very high temperatures. The World Health Authority (WHO), on the other hand, concluded that while there was insufficient evidence that the existing levels of the substance in baked and fried foods can cause cancer in human beings, more studies are needed on how to reduce it both in the food and catering industry and in cooking methods at home.

All the debate has been confusing to consumers, not enlightening. Would there be a time when “acrylamide free” would be as evident on packaging as “fat free”? It was hard to know, and even harder to know whether to care. For the moment, at least, it appears that the concern has been alleviated, though almost certainly there will be more studies, more announcements, and more concerns raised. Remember though – it’s not all about acrylamides. Look at the nutritional information about common fast foods – it’s the fat!! A medium French fries at McDonald’s contains a whopping 450 calories, including 200 calories from fat and 22 grams of fat. A six piece chicken nugget serving at McDonald’s has 310 calories, with 180 calories from fat and 20 grams of fat.