287
Views
33
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Assessment of the acrylamide intake of the Belgian population and the effect of mitigation strategies

, , , , , , & show all
Pages 1199-1207 | Received 08 Feb 2010, Accepted 25 Apr 2010, Published online: 28 Jun 2010
 

Abstract

The acrylamide (AA) intake of the Belgian consumer was calculated based on AA monitoring data of the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) and consumption data of the Belgian food consumption survey coordinated by the Scientific Institute for Public Health (3214 participants of 15 years or older). The average AA exposure, calculated probabilistically, was 0.4 µg kg−1 body weight (bw) day−1 (P97.5 = 1.6 µg kg−1 bw day−1), the main contributors to the average intake being chips (23%), coffee (19%), biscuits (13%), and bread (12%). Additionally, the impact of a number of AA mitigation scenarios was evaluated (German minimization concept, scenarios for mitigation from the literature, signal values), which is an important issue for public health as well as for policy-makers. Specific actions in cooperation with the food industry to reduce the AA content of foods seems to be a more efficient strategy than mere implementation of signal values. Considering that an important share of the AA intake is due to prepared meals, the catering industry as well as consumers need to be better informed on the various possibilities for keeping the AA content of meals as low as possible.

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the Belgian Institute of Public Health for access to the consumption data, and the Scientific Committee of the Belgian Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) for their guidance of this study. Frédéric Mestdagh is post-doctoral researcher funded by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO Vlaanderen).

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.