Acrylamide in chips and fries: what FDA says about the risk

Acrylamide is not an additive. Nobody puts it in your food on purpose. FDA describes it as a chemical that can form in some foods during high-heat cooking, like frying, roasting, and baking.

The reaction itself is ordinary kitchen chemistry. Acrylamide forms from sugars and an amino acid called asparagine, when food gets cooked at high heat. It is part of the same browning that gives fried potatoes their color and taste.

That fact tells you which foods are affected. Plant-based foods react most, especially potato products, grain products, and coffee. FDA notes that acrylamide does not form, or forms at lower levels, in dairy, meat, and fish products.

FDA's summary of the science is careful, and that care matters. Acrylamide caused cancer in animals, but only in studies where the animals got very high doses.

Two parts of that sentence carry weight. The finding was in animals. The doses were very high.

Neither point makes the finding meaningless. Animal studies act as an early warning system. But a result from very high lab doses does not automatically mean risk at the amounts people actually eat. FDA does not treat it that way either.

FDA notes that in 2010, a joint expert panel from the FAO and WHO said acrylamide is a human health concern. They called for more long-term studies. That is a request for more research — a sign the human picture was not settled at the time.

NCI states the human evidence more directly. Its acrylamide fact sheet says a large number of studies in humans have found no consistent evidence that dietary acrylamide exposure is associated with the risk of any type of cancer.

A hazard shown in animals. An official call for more research. No steady link found in humans. Holding all three facts at once is the accurate picture.

For a topic that generates scary headlines, FDA stays remarkably calm. Its advice is simple: follow a healthy eating plan that matches the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. That means more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and less saturated fat and sodium.

FDA does not tell people to avoid fried, roasted, or baked foods altogether.

Want to cut down how much acrylamide forms? FDA's page on acrylamide and diet, food storage and food preparation gives clear, easy steps.

• Comparing frying, roasting and baking potatoes, frying causes the highest acrylamide formation.
• Boiling potatoes, and microwaving whole potatoes with the skin on, does not produce acrylamide.
• Soaking raw potato slices in water for 15 to 30 minutes before frying or roasting helps reduce formation. Drain and blot them dry before cooking so they do not spit.
• Cook cut potato products to a golden yellow color rather than a brown color. Brown areas tend to contain more acrylamide.
• Toast bread to a light brown color rather than a dark brown color.
• Store potatoes outside the refrigerator, preferably in a dark, cool place such as a closet or a pantry. Refrigerating them can result in increased acrylamide during cooking.

That last tip about potato storage is the one most people have never heard. It costs nothing to try.

Fried potato products already have good reasons to eat in moderation, and none of them are about acrylamide. If chips and fries make up a big part of your diet, your overall eating pattern is the thing worth looking at.

If they are just an occasional treat, FDA's guidance gives you no reason to cut them out. Cook them golden instead of dark, keep your potatoes out of the fridge, and save your worry for something that matters more.

Potatoes and coffee get most of the attention, but acrylamide can form in other browned foods too. Toast, crackers, breakfast cereals, and roasted nuts all go through the same basic browning reaction at high heat. The same rule applies across all of them: less browning generally means less acrylamide.

This is not a reason to give up toast. It is simply useful background for understanding why FDA's advice is about an overall eating pattern rather than a single food to avoid.