which needed confirmation (Joint FAO/WHO Expert
Committee of Food Additives 2011). Another review of
the epidemiological data published in recent years concluded
that the sporadically and slightly increased and
decreased risk ratios seen in the studies suggested the
pattern one would expect to find for a true null hypothesis
(Lipworth et al. 2012). However, more recently, a Danish
study found a link between acrylamide exposure and
breast cancer–specific mortality (Olsen et al. 2012), and
another showed a link between haemoglobin adducts of
acrylamide and glycidamide in umbilical cord blood
(reflecting exposure in the last months of pregnancy) and
low birth weight and head circumference in babies
(Pedersen et al. 2012).
Given the low margins of exposure and the uncertainty
regarding the human health risk from acrylamide in the
diet, the JECFA and other risk assessment bodies have
recommended that acrylamide levels in food be reduced as
a matter of priority and the European Commission issued
“indicative” levels for acrylamide in food in early 2011
(http://ec.europa.eu/food/food/chemicalsafety/contaminants/
recommendation_10012011_acrylamide_food_en.pdf).
Indicative values are not safety thresholds but are intended
to indicate the need for an investigation into why the level
has been exceeded. Fried potatoes (such as French fries)
and potato crisps are important contributors to dietary
intake across Europe (European Food Safety Authority