Study says crisp burnt food can cause cancer
A new study published by United Kingdom’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) says that crispy potato chips and other foods with potential high levels of acrylamide can lead to cancer as they are fried at high temperature above 120 degrees Celsius.
The FSA report which was published this week is launching a campaign to ‘Go for Gold’, aimed at helping people understand how to minimise exposure to the possible carcinogen -acrylamide when cooking at home.
The campaign is based on longstanding evidence from animal studies in 2002, but the link is yet to be proven in the human studies. Some experts are highlighting that other lifestyle factors pose much greater risks such as smoking and obesity.
Acrylamide is a chemical that is created when many foods, particularly starchy foods like potatoes and bread, are cooked for long periods at high temperatures, such as when baking, frying, grilling, toasting and roasting. The scientific consensus is that acrylamide has the potential to cause cancer in humans.
Steve Wearne, Director of Policy at the Food Standards Agency, commented: ‘Our research indicates that the majority of people are not aware that acrylamide exists, or that they might be able to reduce their personal intake.
“We want our ‘Go for Gold’ campaign to highlight the issue so that consumers know how to make the small changes that may reduce their acrylamide consumption whilst still eating plenty of starchy carbohydrates and vegetables as recommended in government healthy eating advice.
To achieve this goal, the FSA has teamed up with Olympic gold medallist and mother of four Denise Lewis, to empower people to make small changes to how they cook, to help minimise acrylamide consumption in the home.
Commenting on her involvement with the ‘Go for Gold’ campaign, Denise Lewis said: ‘As a mum, the wellbeing of my family is my top priority, particularly when it comes to the meals I cook for them at home. With so many factors to consider, it’s great that the FSA is helping people to understand the changes we can make to reduce acrylamide in the food we eat regularly at home’.
The goal of the campaign is to warn people when cooking at home to aim for a golden yellow colour or lighter when frying, baking, toasting or roasting starchy foods like potatoes, root vegetables and bread.
They also want to highlight the need to follow the cooking instructions carefully when frying or oven-heating packaged food products such as chips, roast potatoes and parsnips.
“The on-pack instructions are designed to cook the product correctly. This ensures that you aren’t cooking starchy foods for too long or at temperatures which are too high,” said the organisation in the report about the study.
Consumers were also urged to eat a varied and balanced diet as completely avoiding risks like acrylamide in food, may not be entirely possible.
However, eating a healthy, balanced diet that includes basing meals on starchy carbohydrates and getting your 5 A Day will help reduce your risk of cancer.
They also advised the public not to keep raw potatoes in the fridge if the intention is to roast or fry them.
Storing raw potatoes in the fridge can increase overall acrylamide levels. Raw potatoes should ideally be stored in a dark, cool place at temperatures above 6°C.
Anthonia Obokoh with Agency Report