[Federal Register: September 12, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 177)]
[Notices]
[Page 57827-57828]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12se02-82]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Food and Drug Administration
[Docket No. 02N-0393]
Assessing Acrylamide in the U.S. Food Supply; Public Meeting;
Draft Action Plan on Acrylamide; Availability
AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.
ACTION: Notice of public meeting and availability.
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SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is announcing a public
meeting entitled ``Assessing Acrylamide in the U.S. Food Supply.'' The
purpose of the public meeting is to update the public on FDA's
activities related to acrylamide in food, to present FDA's draft action
plan on acrylamide, and to obtain and solicit comments on the action
plan.
Date and Time: The public meeting will be held on September 30,
2002, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: The public meeting will be held at the Center for Food
Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, Harvey W.
Wiley Building Auditorium, 5100 Paint Branch Pkwy, College Park, MD.
Contact: Louis J. Carson, Food Safety Staff (HFS-32), Center for
Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 5100
Paint Branch Pkwy, College Park, MD 20740, 301-436-2130, FAX: 301-436-
2605, e-mail: Louis.Carson@cfsan.fda.gov.
Addresses: Submit written comments concerning the agency's draft
action plan on acrylamide to the Dockets Management Branch (HFA-305),
Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, rm. 1061, Rockville,
MD 20852 by October 30, 2002. Submit electronic comments to http://
www.fda.gov/dockets/ecomments. The draft action action plan will be be
available on the Internet at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/list.html.
Registration and Request for Oral Presentations: Send registration
information (including name, title, firm name, address, telephone
number, and fax number) to the contact person by September 26, 2002.
Additionally, specify if you wish to make an oral presentation.
Transcripts: Transcripts of the meeting may be requested in writing
from the Freedom of Information Office (HFI-35), Food and Drug
Administration, 5600 Fishers Lane, rm 12A-16, Rockville, MD 20857,
approximately 15 working days after the meeting at a cost of 10 cents
per page.
If you need special accommodations due to a disability, please
notify the contact person at least 7 days in advance .
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
On April 24, 2002, researchers at the Swedish National Food
Administration and Stockholm University reported finding the chemical
acrylamide in a variety of fried and oven baked foods. The initial
Swedish research indicates that acrylamide formation is particularly
associated with traditional high temperature cooking processes for
certain carbohydrate-rich foods (Ref. 1). Since the Swedish report,
similar findings have been reported by Norway, the United Kingdom, and
Switzerland. The discovery of acrylamide in foods is a concern because
acrylamide is a potential human carcinogen and genotoxicant.
FDA is currently conducting a broad survey of the occurrence of
acrylamide in foods. Analytical test methodology was developed for a
broad range of food types by FDA to measure acrylamide levels. This
methodology is available on the Internet at http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/
dms/acrylami.html. Preliminary FDA food analyses for acrylamide suggest
that U.S. food levels are consistent with Swedish and European
published findings.
Acrylamide is a potential cancer causing chemical that appears to
be formed in many foods during the cooking process. It is not known if
there is a link between acrylamide in food and cancer in humans.
Further research into a number of factors will assist us in evaluating
adequately the potential human risk of acrylamide. These factors
include: Which foods contain acrylamide, range of levels in these
foods, dietary exposure, the bioavailability of acrylamide from food,
the potential of acrylamide to cause cancer when consumed in food,
acrylamide's potential to cause germ cell mutations, and biomarkers of
acrylamide exposure.
Therefore, FDA has drafted an action plan to develop the
information to assess effectively the risks associated with acrylamide
in food and to make appropriate risk management choices. Until more is
known, FDA is not recommending that consumers change their diet or
cooking methods because of concerns about acrylamide. Consumers are
advised to eat a balanced diet, choosing a variety of foods that are
low in fat, and rich in high fiber grains, fruits, and vegetables.
II. Components of FDA's Draft Action Plan on Acrylamide
The components of FDA's draft action plan on acrylamide include:
[sbull] Assess the dietary exposure of U.S. consumers to acrylamide
by measuring acrylamide levels in various foods,
[sbull] Develop screening methods and validate confirmatory methods
of analysis,
[sbull] Assess the potential risks associated with acrylamide in
foods by extensive evaluation of the available information and by
expanding research into acrylamide toxicology,
[sbull] Identify mechanisms responsible for the formation of
acrylamide in foods and identify means to reduce acrylamide exposure,
[sbull] Inform and educate consumers of the potential risks
throughout the assessment process and as knowledge is gained, and
[sbull] Develop and foster public/private partnerships to gather
scientific and technological information and data for assessing the
human risk.
This public meeting is intended to present FDA's draft action plan
on acrylamide and to obtain and solicit public comment on the plan. The
draft action plan will be made public on the Internet at http://
www.cfsan.fda.gov/list.html
[[Page 57828]]
on or before the date of the public meeting. The preliminary
agenda for the public meeting also will be made available on or before
the date of the public meeting under the docket number found in
brackets in the heading of this document at the Dockets Management
Branch (see ADDRESSES).
III. Comments
Interested persons may present data, information, or views orally
or in writing on issues pending at the public meeting. Those desiring
to make oral presentations should notify the contact person (see
Contact) by September 26, 2002, and submit a brief statement of the
general nature of the evidence or arguments they wish to present, their
names, addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, and e-mail addresses.
Oral presentations are scheduled for the afternoon session starting at
1:30 p.m. Oral presentations may be limited to 5 minutes, but may be
expanded based on the number of people wishing to comment.
You may submit written or electronic comments to the Dockets
Management Branch (see ADDRESSES) for 30 days following the public
meeting on the FDA's acrylamide draft action plan. Two copies of any
comments are to be submitted, except individuals may submit one copy.
Comments should be identified with the docket number found in the
brackets in the heading of this document. A copy of the document and
received comments are available for public examination in the Dockets
Management Branch between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
IV. Reference
The following reference has been placed on display in the Dockets
Management Branch (see ADDRESSES) and may be seen by interested persons
between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
1. Tareke, E.; Rydberg, P.; Karlsson, P.; Eriksson, S.; and
Tornquist, M.; Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2002,
vol. 50, pp. 4998 to 5006.
Dated: September 6, 2002.
Margaret M. Dotzel,
Associate Commissioner for Policy.
[FR Doc. 02-23193 Filed 9-9-02; 2:37 pm]
BILLING CODE 4160-01-S
(This document is also available in PDF)
Public Meeting: Assessing Acrylamide in the U.S. Food Supply, September 30, 2002 - Agenda September 20, 2002
FDA Draft Action Plan for Acrylamide in Food September 20, 2002
Detection and Quantitation of Acrylamide in Foods (Draft) July 23, 2002
More information on Acrylamide