On Monday 20 November, the European Commission adopted the regulation that seeks to reduce the risk of exposure by consumers to acrylamide, a carcinogenic chemical contaminant in certain widely consumed foods cooked at very high temperatures, such as chips, crisps, cereal-based products, coffee and coffee substitutes.
It was the go-ahead given by the Council of the EU on 10 October that made this advance possible (see EUROPE 11879). The regulation imposes measures to reduce acrylamide in food production and reference levels on large agri-food companies. Derogations are included for SMEs. The regulation does not, however, impose binding limit values, to the great disappointment of consumer organisations, such as BEUC.
“The danger of acrylamide to health is bigger than that of glyphosate and fipronil”, stated German MEP Peter Liese (EPP) in a press release published on Monday, the day that the European Parliament was hearing the representatives of the “Stop glyphosate” European citizens’ initiative (see EUROPE 11908). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)