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2017 HOTREC ANNUAL REPORT
Acrylamide is a chemical that naturally forms in starchy food products
during every-day high-temperature cooking (frying, baking, roasting,
etc.) and which usually appears during the ‘browning’ of the food.
In light of the conclusions of the recent European Food Safety
Authority’s opinion highlighting the carcinogenic effect of acrylamide,
the European Commission started investigating on how to ensure
a reduction of acrylamide levels in food. Given that many food
commonly cooked and served by restaurants (e.g. french-fries,
bread, etc.) are directly concerned by EFSA’s health warning, HOTREC
engaged with the European Commission and brought expertise to
help the EU regulate the matter.
A Code of Practice to ensure restaurants serve safe
meals
Starting fromtheacknowledgement that thevastmajorityof hospitality
businesses serving food are micro-enterprises (i.e. employing less
than 10 people) which do not (and cannot) use industrial standardized
processes but rather opt for more authentic and home-made type of
cooking, HOTREC elaborated a number of mitigation measures that
restaurants shall follow to reduce acrylamide contents.
These mitigation measures are contained in a Code of Practice (CoP)
for the hospitality sector on the two main kind of products served
by restaurants containing acrylamide: French fries and bread/bakery
products. It contains a set of mandatory measures (e.g. temperature
for potato storage, maximum temperature for frying, display of
a colour guide in kitchens to avoid over-cooking) together with
recommendations, which can be used by all restaurants, depending
on their characteristics and the type of food served (e.g. advice
on cooking oil, fermentation time for bread, etc.). The mixture of
mandatory and recommended measures ensure that all restaurants
will be able to use the HOTREC CoP to reduce in practice acrylamide
contents below safety thresholds.
A source of inspiration for the European Commission
Following the numerous discussions held with the European
Commission and the representatives of the EU Member States on the
measures proposed by HOTREC for the hospitality sector, HOTREC’s
expertise was positively recognized. As a result, the mitigation
measures proposed in the HOTREC Code of Practice are directly
used by the EU institutions when drafting their upcoming legislation
to reduce the presence of acrylamide, either through the official
recognition of the HOTREC CoP, or through a direct incorporation of
its content into the body of the future legislation. HOTREC actions
therefore contribute to help restaurants serving safer food, while
avoiding un-necessary red-tape.
HOTREC’s practitioners support the EU
institutions in developing concrete solutions to
reduce acrylamide in food
HOTREC actions contribute
to help restaurants serving
safer food, while avoiding
un-necessary red-tape