Acrylamide exposure from foods of the Dutch population and an assessment of the consequent risks.

At the end of April 2002, the Swedish Food Administration reported the presence of acrylamide in heat treated food products. Acrylamide has been shown to be toxic and carcinogenic in animals, and has been classified by the WHO/IARC among others as 'probably carcinogenic for humans'. The purposes of this study were firstly to analyse acrylamide contents of the most important foods contributing to such exposure, secondly, to estimate the acrylamide exposure in a representative sample of the Dutch population, and thirdly to estimate the public health risks of this consumption. We analysed the acrylamide content of foods with an LC-MS-MS method. The results were then used to estimate the acrylamide exposure of consumers who participated in the National Food Consumption Survey (NFCS) in 1998 (n=6250). The exposure was estimated using the probabilistic approach for the total Dutch population and several age groups. For 344 food products, acrylamide amounts ranged from <30 to 3100 microg/kg. Foods with the highest mean acrylamide amounts were potato crisps (1249 microg/kg), chips (deep-fried) (351 microg/kg), cocktail snacks (1060 microg/kg), and gingerbread (890 microg/kg). The mean acrylamide exposure of the NFCS participants was 0.48 microg/kg bw/day. Risk of neurotoxicity is negligible. From exposure estimations it appears that the additional cancer risk might not be negligible.

Evaluation of effect of measures taken after a DON outbreak.

In April 1999 an amount of 2600 µg/kg DON was found in a sample breakfast cereals in the Netherlands. This event was the start of a lot of activities, which dealt with the prevention, control, health and consumer aspects of DON in food for human consumption. The Food Inspection Services started a monitoring program to measure DON in cereal products, flour and raw cereals. The National Institute of Public Health and the Environment, another part of the Ministry of Health in the Netherlands, was asked to carry out a risk analysis on DON. This was the basis for the Minister of Health to set an action limit for consumer products. She also informed Brussels and asked for a European limit. The Main Board on Agriculture set out to implement measures to be taken at harvesting, milling and bread baking industry. The Scientific Committee on Food of the EC expressed an opinion on DON in December 1999. Worldwide attention leads to discussion of a DON limit by JECFA in February 2001.In the period may 1999 until march 2002 a number of more than 1700 samples were analysed on DON. These originated from the cereal harvest of the years 1998 until 2001. The results showed a sharp decrease of DON content in samples of harvest 1999 when compared to 1998. This lower level was maintained in the 2000 and 2001 harvests. Apparently the measures taken to control the DON level succeeded to maintain values below the action limits. Despite these activities a smaller outbreak of DON appeared in 2001 in pasta products at a lower extent. This indicated that control should be done systematically, not sporadically, and at a European level, which is made possible since EC has set a limit in July 2000. Analytical results of the measurements are presented, together with the chronological order of the associated activities of national, EU and worldwide bodies on human health control. Special attention is paid to DON in bread, related to the level in flour.