Nieuwe bevindingen over acrylamide en furan gepubliceerd in wetenschappelijk blad (en)

maandag 10 september 2007

The proceedings of the acrylamide workshop jointly organised by the European Commission, Directorate General Health and Consumer Protection (DG-SANCO) and CIAA – the voice of the European food and drink industry – received scientific endorsement and will be published in a special supplement of Food Additives and Contaminants (www.informaworld.com/FAC).

Exceptional to the work around acrylamide is that from the very early stages all stakeholders convened to share their knowledge and ongoing work in an open and transparent manner. This unique working method was clearly reflected during the workshop held in March 2006 where scientific experts presented findings from academic and industry research addressing analytical aspects, formation pathways mitigation (academic research and industry efforts), home cooking and catering and risk assessments.

The findings presented during the workshop are reflected in the 9th edition of CIAA’s Acrylamide Toolbox. The Acrylamide Toolbox provides ways to reduce acrylamide levels in concerned foods such as potato products, bread and bakery wares, breakfast cereals and coffee. The toolbox is updated on a continuous basis as science progresses. The most recent edition of the Acrylamide toolbox can be viewed at the following link http://www.ciaa.eu/pages_en/documents/brochure_detailed.asp?brochure_id=41

CIAA’s Technical Acrylamide Expert Group – formed in 2003 to share research initiatives and disseminate knowledge in a fast and efficient way – created the Acrylamide Toolbox which provides operators with the tools they need to reduce acrylamide in foods.

“Acrylamide in food was first discovered by Swedish researchers in early 2002 and raised concern due to its classification as a probably human carcinogen,” stated Dr. Richard Stadler, chairman of the CIAA Process Contaminants Group. “The way in which this issue was addressed is an excellent example of how public authorities, industry and academia can closely work together and come to a tangible result like the Acrylamide Toolbox to ensure that the foods we consume are safe.”

In addition to the proceedings from the Acrylamide workshop, the outcomes of the subsequently organised workshop on Furan are also included in the supplement. This second workshop was organised in May 2006 by the DG-SANCO and the European Commission Directorate General Joint Research Center in cooperation with the European Food Safety Authority. For furan, it highlights the challenges in developing reliable methodologies and the gaps to be addressed prior to establishing a reliable exposure assessment.

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