Food safety: workshop on official controls of acrylamide in food

Support to the inspection services in Serbia to implement the legislation harmonised with Union acquis on the reduction of levels of acrylamide in food was the topic of a workshop organised by the Policy and Legal Advice Centre (PLAC III) project on 23 February 2020.

The project provided support to the line Ministry of Agriculture in preparing for the practical aspects and challenges in the implementation of harmonised regulations on the reduction of acrylamide in food, as a chemical hazard in the food chain and a probable genotoxic carcinogen in humans. The area is part of Negotiation Chapter 12.

At the workshop, project experts Raymond O’ Rourke and Jelena Vračar Filipović presented results of their up-to-date work to the representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry and the inspection services of the Ministry of Health.

O’ Rourke presented the relevant EU directives, as well as how the legislation on acrylamide was developed in the Union. Acrylamide is most often found in potato products, cereals, toast and other starch-rich foods that are processed by frying and baking. From 2007 to 2013, all EU Member States were required to report acrylamide inspections to the European Commission. In 2013, the Commission recommended that food sampling and testing for acrylamide be performed. In 2015, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) issued a scientific opinion that acrylamide can lead to an increased risk of cancer at all ages, including children.

Baby food is a particularly sensitive area which is why the European Commission has decided to make the provisions on acrylamide stricter, O’ Rourke said. Consumer organisations were also closely involved in the whole process. Following EFSA’s opinion, the European Commission and Member States have decided to apply a mitigation measures approach based on reference values ​​for acrylamide quantities.

Regulation 2158, adopted in 2017, defines risk mitigation measures in which the so-called ALARA (As Low as Reasonably Possible) principle is applied – to reduce the presence of acrylamide to the lowest possible reasonable level. According to the Regulation, food business operators must introduce the acrylamide benchmark levels as well as risk mitigation measures in their HACCP plans. The regulation defines which food it refers to – French fries and chips, bread, bakery products, coffee and coffee substitutes, cereals and baby and child foods based on cereals. Risk mitigation measures must be applied by all food business operators, from small producers and sellers to large food chains or parts of franchises. Sampling and analysis for acrylamide is mandatory for large chains.

Regulation 315/93 lays down EU procedures for food contaminants.

The Rulebook on maximum concentrations of certain contaminants in food, which is in force in Serbia, is fully harmonized with EU regulations, O’ Rourke said. It is still necessary to make special regulations on the presence of acrylamide in baby food and cereals.

Project expert Jelena Vračar Filipović presented a document on the procedure of official controls for acrylamide based on the Rulebook as well as on the Guidelines of the European Commission on acrylamide.

Based on the expert support of the PLAC III project completed so far, annexes of procedures related to food categories, checklists, baby food, as well as guides for special categories of food and food business entities will be prepared. The final workshop is scheduled for spring 2020.

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