ANSES study finds acrylamide exposure remains too high despite lower food levels

France’s food safety agency, ANSES, has published initial findings from its third Total Diet Study, a major assessment of contaminants found in foods as people actually eat them. The update covers acrylamide and five trace metals: silver, cadmium, lead, aluminium and mercury.

This is an exposure assessment, not a product recall or a warning about one isolated ingredient. Researchers collected representative foods, prepared them as consumers would at home, including cutting and cooking, and then combined laboratory results with food-consumption data. The aim was to estimate how much of each substance reaches the population through an ordinary diet.

What improved — and what did not

Compared with the previous study, average concentrations of acrylamide, silver, aluminium, cadmium and lead were lower across the foods assessed. The improvement was not uniform, however, and some categories showed higher concentrations than before. ANSES also notes that cereal-based foods such as bread, biscuits, fine bakery products and pasta remain important contributors to dietary exposure to aluminium, cadmium and lead.

The agency’s overall risk assessment has not changed: exposure to acrylamide, cadmium, lead, aluminium and methylmercury remains too high for all or part of the population. That does not mean every food in these categories is unsafe, or that people should remove whole food groups from their diet. It means that repeated exposure across the diet still deserves attention.

ANSES specifically points out that some vegetables showed higher concentrations than in the earlier study, while stressing that this finding does not call into question their nutritional benefits. Biscuits and pastries, by contrast, generally offer less nutritional value, so reducing their frequency can address both contaminant exposure and overall diet quality.

Why high-temperature cooking matters

Acrylamide is formed when certain foods are cooked at high temperatures, above 120°C, particularly during frying or roasting. The reaction is more likely in foods containing starches or sugars together with the amino acid asparagine. Fries, sautéed potatoes, crisps and biscuits are among the foods most associated with this issue.

ANSES reports that average acrylamide concentrations fell in most of the food groups where the substance was previously detected. Coffee was no longer detected in the new assessment. Even so, estimated exposure remains too high, especially where fries and sautéed potatoes are eaten regularly.

The report does not prescribe one universal home-cooking temperature. Its practical message is that high-temperature frying and roasting of starchy foods should not become the default method for every meal. A sensible kitchen response is to rotate cooking methods and keep heavily browned, fried or roasted starchy foods as occasional choices rather than daily staples.

Four useful habits for home cooks

Vary the cooking method. Alternate fried or roasted potatoes with boiled, steamed or braised versions. The goal is not to ban frying, but to reduce reliance on the cooking conditions most associated with acrylamide formation.
Keep highly processed sweet foods occasional. Biscuits and fine bakery products can contribute to exposure while often adding limited nutritional value. Building snacks around fruit, plain dairy products, nuts or other less processed options can improve dietary variety.
Do not cut vegetables because of this update. ANSES says that findings involving some vegetables do not outweigh their nutritional benefits. Washing, storing and preparing produce properly remains more useful than avoiding it.
Vary the fish on the menu. Methylmercury exposure is mainly associated with fish, with predatory species such as tuna showing the highest concentrations. ANSES still recommends two servings of fish per week, including one oily fish, while varying species and sources.

The fish message is about variety, not avoidance

Fish illustrates why the study needs to be read as a whole-diet assessment. It is an important source of nutrients, but species differ in their contaminant profiles. Choosing different fish over time helps limit repeated exposure to methylmercury while preserving the nutritional advantages of seafood.

The same principle applies to the wider results. A food can remain valuable even when monitoring identifies a contaminant concern. The practical answer is usually variation in ingredients, cooking methods and meal patterns, rather than fear of a single food.

What the study means in a working kitchen

For everyday cooking, the clearest takeaway is simple: keep the plate varied, make fried and heavily roasted starchy foods less routine, and do not mistake lower average concentrations for zero exposure. The findings also show why preparation matters. Two dishes made from similar ingredients can contribute differently depending on how often they are eaten and whether they are fried, roasted or cooked by a gentler method.

ANSES describes these as initial results from a wider programme, with further substances covered by the broader Total Diet Study. The agency’s English summary of the findings and the underlying scientific report provide the full context for the food categories and exposure assessment.