Tests have revealed high levels of the carcinogen acrylamide in some German food products for children.
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Acrylamide levels in two types of whole-grain biscuit were so high that they would exceed adult danger levels due to children’s lower body weight, according to German press agency reports.
One of the dangerous products was intended to be mashed into a porridge for infants.
The vast majority of baby and children’s food products tested low, leading the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment to conclude that manufacturers could keep acrylamide levels down and should do so as quickly as possible.
Undersecretary of state for consumer protection, Matthias Berninger, called for acrylamide levels to be listed on food packaging. Study results from state laboratories are not legally allowed to specifically name tested products.
At the same time, news magazine Focus cited toxicologist Gerhard Eisenbrand of the University of Kaiserslautern, who said the danger posed by acrylamide in food is not as high as scientists first feared. Eisenbrand said levels below 500 micrograms per kilo body weight were “without effect”.
