More Research Needed On Food Carcinogen
The recent
discovery of acrylamide -- a known cancer-causing substance -- in french
fries, potato chips and other processed foods is a serious health concern
but more research is needed before the risk the chemical poses to humans
can be determined, an advisory panel to the World Health Organization recommended.
Although acrylamide
causes cancer and nerve damage in animals, no studies assessing cancer
risk in humans have been done, so it is difficult to determine the risk
posed to people eating foods laced with the chemical, the panel said.
"After reviewing
all the available data, we have concluded that the new findings constitute
a serious problem," said Dieter Arnold, chairman of the panel, consisting
of experts in cancer, toxicology and food processing. "But our current
limited knowledge does not allow us to answer all the questions which have
been asked by consumers, regulators and other interested parties," Arnold
said in a written statement.
However, the
panel agreed there is such a potential for health risk that something needs
to be done, World Health Organization spokesman Gregory Hartl told United
Press International. The panel stressed "anything that anyone can do, whether
its scientists, food manufacturers or others, to already reduce the level
of acrylamide should be done," Hartl said. This could include changes in
formulations or processing to reduce acrylamide levels.
Swedish scientists
first discovered acrylamide in starch-based foods, such as french fries,
potato chips, cookies, cereals and bread, in April. The chemical is believed
to be created by the high temperatures used to cook these foods. Since
then, the findings have been confirmed by four other countries, including
the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland and the United States, which has
raised global concern and spurred the World Health Organization meeting.
WHO is not
bound by the panel's recommendations but the organization will consider
them and decide whether to adopt them as policy within the next few months,
Hartl said.
"At present
the data on acrylamide are not sufficient for (the U.S. Food and Drug Administration)
to make a final determination regarding the public health impact of these
preliminary findings," FDA's deputy commissioner, Lester M. Crawford, said
in a statement reacting to the panel's recommendations, FDA, which sent
three representatives to the WHO meeting, currently is analyzing several
different foods for acrylamide, Crawford said, adding, "FDA is unaware
of any present data regarding acrylamide that would cause FDA to alter
its current dietary recommendations for consumers." The agency could change
its recommendations as more data is gathered, he said.
In the meantime,
FDA recommends consumers "follow established dietary guidelines and eat
a healthy, balanced diet consisting of a wide variety of foods from a variety
of sources," Crawford said.
The Grocery
Manufacturers of America, a trade group representing food manufacturers,
applauded the panel's recommendations. "We're pleased that they couldn't
draw any conclusions," said Sue Ferenc, GMA's vice president for science
and regulatory policy.
"The food industry
is definitely concerned ... and we'll be working with FDA on it," Ferenc
told UPI.
Asked if food
manufacturers would heed the panel's recommendation to find ways to lower
acrylamide levels in food, Ferenc said, "Lowering it is going to be based
on if we determine there's a public health impact on some level ... We
can only evaluate ways to lower it when we understand the mechanism that
forms it."
The panel recommended
conducting more research to determine how acrylamide is formed during the
cooking process and further investigation into relevant cancers in humans.
The panel also
noted it is not known whether acrylamide occurs in foods other than the
ones already tested. Members urged more research to determine if other
foods may contain this chemical.
Michael Jacobson,
executive director of the consumer advocacy group Center for Science in
the Public Interest, told UPI, "It's important that WHO said this is a
serious problem. That should end some of the nay-saying in the food industry
and hopefully it should stimulate the FDA to show greater interest in preventing
the formation of acrylamide in foods."
Responding
to the FDA's previous statements that it may take months to get its acrylamide
results back, Jacobson said, "That's unbelievable that the FDA would take
months to do what other governments took weeks to do. I think it indicates
that the FDA is not placing any urgency on this."
Jacobson advised
consumers to "cut back on the most (acrylamide-contaminated) and least
nutritious foods -- potato chips and french fries."
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