Cancer risk can rise from fried and browned foods, EU agency warns

Crackers, potato chips, coffee and other foods browned when fried, or roasted, have the potential to increase the risk of cancer, according to a European Union advisory authority.

Acrylamide, produced in cooking at temperatures above 150 degrees Celsius (300 Fahrenheit), may pose a particular threat to children, according to the European Food Safety Authority. The authority opened a public consultation and confirmed previous evaluations based on animal studies.

The chemical “is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, distributed to all organs and extensively metabolised,” Diane Benford, head of the panel on contaminants in the food chain, said.