Crispy, delicious potato chips and fries are deeply loved by everyone, but they carry hidden health concerns. More and more people are paying attention to the issue of acrylamide, a carcinogen found in potato chips. In fact, over the years, testing reports from the Consumer Council and multiple consumer organizations have repeatedly pointed out that many popular crispy snacks on the market commonly contain carcinogens. In August 2020, Issue 526 of Choice tested 77 crispy snacks, including potato chips, fries, corn chips, shrimp crackers, shrimp sticks, and other products. Of these, 90% were found to contain the carcinogen acrylamide, and more than 30% of fried and prepackaged crispy snacks had acrylamide levels higher than the European Union's benchmark levels.
Acrylamide was originally an industrial raw material used in wastewater treatment and papermaking, but research has found that it is also naturally produced when food is heated. When reducing sugars in food (glucose, fructose, etc.) and asparagine (an amino acid found in high amounts in potatoes) are cooked at high temperatures (above 120°C) with little water (such as frying, grilling, and baking), acrylamide is produced through the "Maillard reaction."
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified acrylamide as "probably carcinogenic to humans" (Group 2A) in 1994. The European Union has set benchmark levels for acrylamide in various foods, for example, 500 micrograms per kilogram for ready-to-eat fries, and 750 micrograms per kilogram for prepackaged potato chips and fries. Acrylamide is harmful with no benefits, and the principle for daily diet should be to consume as little as possible.
The Consumer Council collected 77 crispy snack samples, including 29 prepackaged potato chips and fries, 3 sweet potato and yam samples, 7 vegetable chips, 12 corn chips and corn sticks, 3 quinoa chips, and 13 shrimp crackers and shrimp sticks. In addition, 10 non-prepackaged ready-to-eat fries, hash browns, and potato cakes samples were purchased from 10 restaurants, fast-food outlets, and snack shops. It was found that as many as 90% (about 70 products) contained the genotoxic carcinogen acrylamide. However, a small number of samples performed excellently in the test. The following 7 samples were not detected to contain acrylamide or reached relatively safe indicators:
In the test, 7 products received high scores and recommendations, belonging to relatively safe products that can be eaten with peace of mind, helping consumers strike a balance between appetite and health:
Bourbon Petit Ebi Crackers
Price: $12
Origin: Japan
Net weight per pack (g): 38
Total fat (g): 15.8
Saturated fat (g): 5.3
Trans fat (g): 0.1
Sodium (mg): 433
Acrylamide (mcg/kg): /
Acrylamide score: 5/5
Total score: 4.5/5
Koufu Buqian Taiwan Vegetable Chips
Price: $20
Origin: Taiwan
Net weight per pack (g): 40
Total fat (g): 15.8
Saturated fat (g): 10.8
Trans fat (g): 0
Sodium (mg): 95
Acrylamide (mcg/kg): /
Acrylamide score: 5/5
Total score: 4.5/5
Ming Fai Indonesian Shrimp Crackers Original Flavor
Price: $15
Origin: China
Net weight per pack (g): 80
Total fat (g): 24.5
Saturated fat (g): 1.7
Trans fat (g): 0
Sodium (mg): 807
Acrylamide (mcg/kg): /
Acrylamide score: 5/5
Total score: 3.5/5
Tai Wei Lobster Crackers (Imitation Lobster Flavor Crisps)
Price: $14
Origin: Taiwan
Net weight per pack (g): 150
Total fat (g): 29.7
Saturated fat (g): 13.9
Trans fat (g): 0
Sodium (mg): 812
Acrylamide (mcg/kg): /
Acrylamide score: 5/5
Total score: 3.5/5
Baba Dong Original Flavor Shrimp Crackers
Price: $20
Origin: Indonesia
Net weight per pack (g): 85
Total fat (g): 25
Saturated fat (g): 7.1
Trans fat (g): 0
Sodium (mg): 706
Acrylamide (mcg/kg): /
Acrylamide score: 5/5
Total score: 3.5/5
Four Seas Spicy BBQ Flavor Crispy Shrimp Crackers
Price: $7
Origin: China
Net weight per pack (g): 30
Total fat (g): 35.6
Saturated fat (g): 15.8
Trans fat (g): 0
Sodium (mg): 586
Acrylamide (mcg/kg): /
Acrylamide score: 5/5
Total score: 3.5/5
GS Retail YOUUS Shrimp Chips
Price: $11
Origin: South Korea
Net weight per pack (g): 54
Total fat (g): 24.1
Saturated fat (g): 14.8
Trans fat (g): 0
Sodium (mg): 0
Acrylamide (mcg/kg): /
Acrylamide score: 5/5
Total score: 3/5
The test results also pointed out that the acrylamide content detected in 10 non-prepackaged samples ranged from 38 micrograms to 964 micrograms per kilogram, with the highest and lowest differing by more than 24 times. Among them, 3 had acrylamide content higher than the EU benchmark level of 500 micrograms per kilogram set for ready-to-eat fries: Five Guys Fries, IKEA Crispy Hash Browns, and Spaghetti House Star Potato Cakes. The highest content was Five Guys Fries, reaching 964 micrograms per kilogram, 90% higher than the benchmark level.
All 29 prepackaged potato chips and fries samples were detected to contain acrylamide, with content ranging from 12 micrograms to 2,614 micrograms per kilogram, a difference of more than 210 times between the highest and lowest. Among them, 9 had acrylamide content higher than the EU benchmark level of 750 micrograms per kilogram set for potato chips. The list of products exceeding the standard is as follows:
Mackie's of Scotland Potato Crisps Haggis & Cracked Black Pepper Flavour
M&S Sweet Chilli Hand Cooked Crisps
Meadows Potato Chips Tom Yum Flavor
Tohato Spicy Potato Rings Garlic Onion Chicken
Topvalu Best Price Potato Chips Salt Flavor
Luke's Organic White Truffle & Sea Salt Potato Chips
Wisby Spicy Flavor Potato Chips
Nissin Kochikame Gekikara Potato Spicy Flavor Potato Chips
Among them, the highest acrylamide content was Topvalu Best Price Potato Chips Salt Flavor, reaching 2,614 micrograms per kilogram, nearly 2.5 times higher than the benchmark level.
3 sweet potato and yam samples: acrylamide content varied considerably, from 23 micrograms to 556 micrograms per kilogram, a difference of more than 23 times between high and low.
7 vegetable chips samples: only 1 was not detected to contain acrylamide; the other 6 had content from 13 micrograms to 353 micrograms per kilogram, a difference of more than 26 times between high and low.
12 corn chips and corn sticks samples: acrylamide content from 22 micrograms to 574 micrograms per kilogram, a difference of about 25 times between high and low.
3 quinoa chips samples: acrylamide content from 53 micrograms to 107 micrograms per kilogram, a difference of about 1 time between high and low.
13 shrimp crackers and shrimp sticks samples: 6 were not detected to contain acrylamide. The other 7 had content from 19 micrograms to 566 micrograms per kilogram, a difference of more than 28 times between high and low.
Overall, prepackaged potato chips and fries samples had the highest average detected acrylamide content, even higher than the average of non-prepackaged fries, potato wedges, potato cakes, and hash browns samples, while prepackaged vegetable chips, quinoa chips, shrimp crackers, and shrimp sticks samples had relatively lower acrylamide content.
Source: Issue 526 of Choice
