Reassessment of the acrylamide risk: Belgium as a case-study

Acrylamide is a food process contaminant with carcinogenic and genotoxic properties. As a result of
intensive research, numerous mitigation initiatives to prevent its formation were suggested and various
of them were implemented in the food chain. To evaluate if the mitigation strategies applied were
significant, a comparison was made between two time periods (2002e2007 versus 2008e2013) in terms
of acrylamide food levels and dietary exposure in Belgian.
The most important changes observed are a significant decrease of the acrylamide content in potato
crisps and gingerbread, and a significant increase in (instant) coffee. Additionally, the acrylamide content
of breakfast cereals, bread and rolls, chocolate and baby biscuits showed a downward trend, whereas for
coffee substitute and ready-to-eat French fries (mainly obtained from catering facilities), an upward,
although not significant, trend was observed. These changes resulted in only a slight, but insignificant
decline of the overall dietary exposure of adults, adolescents and children.
The mean and P95 intake estimated in the 2008e2013 period for these consumer groups corresponded
to margins of exposure (MOE) ranging between 515 and 236 and between 155 and 71,
respectively, when based on the endpoint for neoplastic effects (BMDL10 ¼ 0.17 mg/kg bw per day). Such
low MOE values indicate that acrylamide remains an issue for public concern, requiring renewed
attention.