Why we love California: In September, 2005, the Attorney General of California proposed a warning label for all French Fries and Potato Chips: "This product contains a chemical known to the state of California to cause cancer."
French fries and potato chips. We love them, but we hate what our bodies do with them. Most of us know to avoid them because they’re packed with fat and devoid of substantial nutritional value, and yet Americans order French fries at restaurants more than any other food! Maybe if we were told that those greasy indulgences cause cancer – that would get us to stop eating them! Well, as it turns out, that may not be far from the truth…
In 2002, a Swedish team of scientists accidentally discovered that presence of acrylamide in commonly eaten baked and fried foods. This is concerning because acrylamide is listed as a known carcinogen to humans by IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer).
What we know simply is this: acrylamide is formed when starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures, greater than 250 degrees. (Boiled rice is safe. Rice requires a very low temperature to cook and it’s the high temps that create acrylamide. Just don’t re-heat leftover rice in the microwave!)
The WHO (World Health Organization) along with the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) has established an international network to foster communications of the investigation of acrylamide in food. (Hum… I don’t think that means they’re good for you.) They have even set up a website for researches and data providers. So far, they have published no recommendations to the public, but I have one for you: Limit your consumption of Known carcinogens!
I’m not trying to scare you.
I still eat French fries now and again.
Knowledge is power.
Do with it what you will.
Helpful links:
Dr. Greene on Acrylamide
American Chemical Society National Convention Notes on Acrylamide
WHO Website to Facilitate Study of Acrylmide Safety in Food
Acrylamide Infonet
The study that started my fear of French fries:
New Tests Confirm Acrylamide in American Foods
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