The FDA may issue stronger health warnings about acrylamide following the release of new toxicological information about the chemical, which is found in many foods when cooked at high temperatures. Because fried potato products are the main source of acrylamide in food, the potato industry is trying to develop new spud varieties that produce lower levels of the compound.
Confused by the story, ACSH's Dr. Josh Bloom asks, “How can you ban acrylamide if it’s formed naturally when you cook?”
“You might not be able to ban it, but you can put a warning label on it,” says ACSH's Dr. Elizabeth Whelan as she recalls a previous attempt by activist groups to put warning labels on French fries in California due to the implication that the acrylamide contained in them causes cancer. “To demonstrate how ridiculous the claim was, ACSH filed a suit against Whole Foods for their sale of whole wheat bread, which also contains acrylamide. The logic was that if McDonald’s needs to label its French fries, why should Whole Foods be exempt from labeling their bread?”
ACSH staffer Susan Ingber recommends that to avoid the harmless compound entirely, “people should just eat their potatoes raw with a salt lick.”