Food Safety Hazards

Acrylamide in Food: Frying, Baking & the Go for Gold Guidance

Reducing Acrylamide in Your Food Business

Acrylamide is a chemical compound that forms naturally when starchy foods such as potatoes, bread, biscuits, and cereals are cooked at high temperatures (above 120C) through frying, baking, roasting, or toasting. It is classified as a probable human carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Since 2018, EU Regulation 2017/2158 (retained in UK law) requires food business operators to put in place measures to reduce acrylamide levels in their food. While the health risk from individual servings is low, the cumulative effect of long-term exposure through diet is a concern. Food businesses, particularly those that fry chips, make toast, or bake products, need to understand and manage this hazard.

Key takeaways

Acrylamide forms when starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures. The darker the colour, the more acrylamide is present.

UK food businesses have a legal obligation to take measures to reduce acrylamide in their food.

The FSA Go for Gold guidance is the practical framework: aim for golden yellow, not brown or burnt.

Store potatoes above 6C, blanch chips before frying, and fry at no more than 175C.

Train staff to recognise the target colour and remove overcooked items.

How Acrylamide Forms

Acrylamide forms through the Maillard reaction, the same browning process that gives fried, baked, and toasted foods their colour and flavour. When the amino acid asparagine (naturally present in potatoes, cereals, and many other plant-based foods) reacts with reducing sugars (glucose, fructose) at temperatures above 120C, acrylamide is produced as a by-product. The darker the colour, the more acrylamide is present. This is why the FSA campaign is called "Go for Gold": aim for a golden yellow colour when frying, baking, or toasting, not dark brown or black. The highest levels of acrylamide are found in: chips and crisps (especially thin, dark, overcooked ones), toast (particularly when burned), roast potatoes, biscuits and crackers, coffee (formed during roasting of the beans), and breakfast cereals. The formation is proportional to cooking time and temperature: higher temperatures and longer cooking times produce more acrylamide.

Legal Requirements for UK Food Businesses

Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158, retained in UK law, requires food business operators who produce or serve foods where acrylamide can form to implement mitigation measures. This applies to restaurants, cafes, takeaways, and any business that fries, bakes, roasts, or toasts food. The regulation does not set maximum limits for food service businesses (unlike food manufacturers, who have benchmark levels), but it does require that businesses take steps to reduce acrylamide. In practice, this means: understanding which of your menu items are at risk, implementing practical measures to reduce acrylamide formation, training staff on correct cooking procedures, and being able to demonstrate these measures to an Environmental Health Officer. The FSA has produced guidance specifically for food businesses, centred on the Go for Gold campaign and best practice for chip and potato preparation.

Practical Controls for Chips and Fried Foods

Chips are the highest-risk item for acrylamide in most food businesses. Key controls include: storing potatoes at above 6C (cold storage below this converts starch to sugars, increasing acrylamide formation), blanching chips in water before frying (this removes surface sugars), frying at no more than 175C, cooking to a golden yellow colour (not brown), and removing darkened or overcooked pieces before serving. For fryer management, keep the oil clean and fresh, as degraded oil promotes darker colouring. For other fried items (battered fish, onion rings, spring rolls), follow the same principle: golden, not brown. For toast, set toasters to a light or medium setting and discard burnt toast rather than serving it. For baked goods, follow recipe temperatures precisely and monitor colour. Display visual guides in the kitchen showing the target colour for chips, toast, and baked products.

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What to do next

Display a Go for Gold colour guide in the kitchen

Print or laminate a visual guide showing the target golden colour for chips, toast, and baked products. Place it near the fryer, toaster, and oven so staff can reference it during service.

Check your potato storage temperature

If you store potatoes in a walk-in chiller set below 6C, the cold converts starch to sugar and increases acrylamide when fried. Store potatoes in a cool, dark, dry place above 6C instead.

Set fryer temperature to 175C maximum

Check and calibrate your fryer thermostat. Frying above 175C increases acrylamide formation. If your fryer does not have a reliable thermostat, replace it or use a separate thermometer to verify.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake

Serving dark brown or blackened chips because "customers like them crispy"

Instead

Dark colour means high acrylamide. Crispiness can be achieved at a golden colour through correct blanching and frying technique. If customers request extra-dark chips, you still have a legal obligation to minimise acrylamide.

Mistake

Storing potatoes in the fridge alongside other vegetables

Instead

Refrigeration below 6C causes cold-sweetening, increasing the sugars that produce acrylamide during frying. Store potatoes separately in ambient conditions above 6C.

Frequently asked questions

Do I really need to worry about acrylamide in my restaurant?

Yes. It is a legal requirement under retained EU regulation. While enforcement has focused primarily on food manufacturers to date, Environmental Health Officers are increasingly aware of acrylamide and may ask what measures you have in place. More importantly, the measures are simple and cost-free (cook lighter, store potatoes correctly, blanch chips), so there is no practical reason not to implement them.

Does acrylamide only form in chips?

No. Acrylamide forms in any starchy food cooked at high temperature. Toast, roast potatoes, biscuits, crackers, pizza bases, and coffee all contain acrylamide. Chips tend to have the highest levels because of the combination of high sugar content in potatoes and high frying temperatures, but any browning of starchy food produces some acrylamide.

Is there a maximum acrylamide level for restaurants?

The regulation sets benchmark levels for food manufacturers but does not impose maximum limits for food service businesses. However, the obligation to implement mitigation measures applies to all food businesses. An EHO would expect you to demonstrate awareness and to have taken reasonable steps: cooking to golden (not dark), storing potatoes above 6C, and training staff.

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