Brussels, 11/03/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has made available a new database on the activities of European research efforts on acrylamide in foodstuffs. Acrylamide is a chemical present in food as a result of cooking practices, whose possible risk to public health is unclear.
This database was established under the initiative of David Byrne, Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, in close co-operation with the European Food Safety Authority to allow scientists to carry on their work on the basis of the global picture of what efforts are undertaken. It will be updated as progress is made.
It was the Swedish authorities who in April 2002 highlighted the presence of acrylamide in food, particularly starchy foods such as potato and cereal products that have been deep-fried, roasted or baked at high temperatures.
The Commission urgently consulted the Scientific Committee on Food to examine the risks of this substance to public health, which reported in July 2002 that acrylamide was potentially carcinogenic, and that its level in food should be reduced as much as reasonably possible. To do this, the Committee insisted that more data should be made available.
The database can be consulted on-line at the following address: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/food/fs/sfp/fcr/acrylamide/acryl_database_en..htlm.