Cancer chemical in food a major concern - WHO

The World Health Organisation has acknowledged that evidence showing the presence of a cancer-causing chemical in chips and crisps is a "major concern".

The WHO is to commission further research into the potential dangers posed by the chemical, acrylamide, in cooked foods, a meeting of its food experts has decided in Geneva.

The consultation of 23 scientific experts identified a number of issues for which research was urgently needed. While acrylamide is known to cause cancer in laboratory animals, no studies of the relations between acrylamide and cancer in humans have been done.

The theoretical models to predict whether cancer would develop in humans from current intake levels of the chemical are not reliable to develop firm conclusions, the expert group decided at the weekend.

However, it accepted that the findings of recent research in Sweden, Norway, the UK and the US were "a serious problem".

The scientists also urged the food industry to investigate the possibilities of reducing the levels of acrylamide in food by changes in formulation and processing.

Last week, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) urged consumers to reduce their intake of fried fatty foods such as chips, crisps and crispbreads.

The authority did not advise people to stop eating the food products in which acrylamide has been found. It said anyone eating a balanced diet was not "at significant risk" and there was no need to withdraw any products from the market. The original research published by Swedish scientists in April found that a bag of potato crisps may contain up to 500 times more acrylamide than the maximum concentration the WHO allows in drinking water.

The Swedish research identified its presence in a wide variety of foods, including breakfast cereals, biscuits and snacks such as popcorn. But the highest levels were found in chips, crisps and crispbreads. No acrylamide was found in boiled foods.

Acrylamide is an industrial chemical mainly used in water treatment. Up to now, its presence in food had not been reported. As well as causing cancer in animals, it has been linked to damage to the nervous and reproductive systems.