FOOD AND HEALTH ESSENTIALS

EU expected to enforce acrylamide benchmarks in 2018

The European Union is on track to enforce new maximum allowable limits for acrylamide in food products beginning in 2018.

Acrylamide is a substance that forms naturally during high-temperature food processes such as frying, roasting or baking, and is often found in potato crisps and fried potatoes, as well as some biscuits, bread, breakfast cereals and even coffee. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) classified acrylamide as a carcinogenic substance in 2015.

The EU Commission’s draft Regulation for the control and mitigation of acrylamide in food was published earlier this year, and was recently approved by EU member states. The draft Regulation now goes to the European Council and the EU Parliament for review and final approval, which is expected later this year or early in 2018. That would place the Regulation on track to come into force by Spring, 2018.

The text of the EU Commission’s draft Regulation to reduce the presence of acrylamide in food is available here. Details on specific limits and mitigation measures are contained in Annex 1 of the draft Regulation, which is also available at the above link.