Acrylamide in Food: Cancer Risk or Mystery?

Although announced as a potential cause of cancer in foods, based on animal studies in several countries, acrylamide is still a mystery chemical in foods today.

Acrylamide is a chemical used in the manufacture of plastics, in some food packaging, as a coagulant in drinking water, and in grouts for construction of drinking water reservoirs. It is not a substance that is added to foods, but in April 2002, researchers at the Swedish National Food Authority showed that acrylamide can be produced in c…