Crunchy roast potatoes are cancer risk, watchdog warns

Eating crunchy roast potatoes could put you at risk of getting cancer, the government has warned.

Starchy foods such as potatoes, bread and root vegetables produce a chemical called acrylamide when cooked, high levels of which have been shown to cause cancer and neurological damage in mice, the Daily Mail reports.

Since acrylamide is created by the browning process, when food is cooked for long periods at more than 120C, the Food Standards Agency has urged people to "go for gold" and cook foods only until they are golden yellow, rather than brown or burnt.

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This means roast spuds should not be "fluffed up" for a dark brown crispy surface and chunky chips are preferable to thin or crinkly fries, as the greater surface area increases acrylamide levels.

However, the Daily Telegraph says experts have accused the government of "massively overreacting" and that it is not clear if even a diet heavy in well-done roast potatoes would give enough of the chemical to form a cancer risk.

The paper adds that studies also only show the effects of acrylamide on mice and that research on humans has proven inconclusive.

Steve Wearne, of the Food Standards Agency, said: "You can't point to individual people and say that person has cancer because of the amount of acrylamide in their diet.

"But because the mechanisms by which it does have those effects in animals are similar to the mechanisms you imagine would take place in people, were exposure high enough, it's not a risk we can ignore."

The United Nations' scientific committee has also said the chemical is a "human health concern" and should be limited, reports The Independent.

Gavin Shears, a senior policy adviser in contaminants at the FSA, told the newspaper: "If you slightly overdo your roast potatoes on a Sunday, it's not that you have to throw them away. We're not asking people to cut out certain foods.

"This is about reducing your overall lifetime risk through simple steps."