Acrylamide: Prep publishes guide to new food safety law

Prep, the high performance frying oil brand, has prepared an insight paper to help food businesses comply with new food safety laws in relation to Acrylamide.

The paper, Acrylamide in food: Understanding the law, minimising the risks, has been published online to coincide with the new legislation that comes into effect on 11th April 2018.

The European legislation requires all businesses that manufacture food, or prepare and serve it to customers, to understand the potential risk of acrylamide, take steps to reduce it and be able to prove that they have done so.

Acrylamide forms naturally in foods when amino acids and sugars react during the cooking process. It occurs typically - but not exclusively - when foods with a high starch content, such as potatoes and bread, are fried, roasted or baked. It is also present in coffee, forming when the beans are roasted.

Olivia Shuttleworth, brand manager for Prep, says businesses need straightforward, realistic advice for complying with the new legislation.

“Over the past few months we have had lots of enquiries from our customers, many of whom were worried about the implications of the new legislation. What became obvious is that there was a need for a clear, plain-language summary that spells out how the new law affects businesses that make, prepare or serve food, and what food operators need to do to meet the requirements of the law.

“Our Prep insight paper has been developed to serve that purpose. It explains the law, the reasons for the new legislation, information about acrylamide and how it forms, and it offers guidance on what businesses must do and how they should go about it.

“Many businesses will already be carrying out many of the steps they need to take to comply with the new law, as they concern food quality and good kitchen practices, such as oil management techniques.

“Ultimately, this is an opportunity for food businesses to demonstrate their understanding of food safety and its positive impact on quality.”

Prep’s insight paper, Acrylamide in Food: Understanding the law, minimising the risks, is available to download from aakfoodservice.co.uk/uploads/files/prep-acrylamide-in-food.pdf

It relates to the Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158 of 20 November 2017: Establishing mitigation measures and benchmark levels for the reduction of the presence of acrylamide in food, which comes into effect in all EU member states on 11th April.

More details about the legislation are available here: eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32017R2158&from=EN

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.