New Acrylamide Legislation. Are you Ready?

Following the FSA ‘Go For Gold’ Campaign last year with the aim of reducing the amount of acrylamide we eat, the EU has taken the next step with the publication of new legislation Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158.
It is not possible to completely eliminate acrylamide from food, so this legislation requires food business owners to take action to ensure that acrylamide levels are as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA).
Businesses will be expected to:
• Understand what acrylamide is and how it may be formed
• Identify the foods handled that may be at risk of acrylamide formation
• Implement measures to minimise acrylamide formation such as working closely with suppliers to understand the controls that they have in place, using colour charts when baking and frying to ensure food is not overcooked, controlling the temperature setting of ovens and fryers, discarding over cooked food and training staff in acrylamide controls
• Include the controls within the company’s food safety management system
• Sampling and analysis against the provided benchmark levels is required by large companies
Guidance from the FSA is awaited.