Vale Family 16pp Hi Res

Roast potatoes
and Toast
You may have seen or
heard the recent news
stories about the dangers
of Acrylamide and its
association with some of
our best loved food. It’s
produced when baking,
frying or roasting starchy
foods above 120 o C.
The fact is you DON’T have
to give up eating roast
potatoes, chips, crisps and
pastries but just be aware
that if overcooked or too
brown, acrylamide will
be produced and could
contribute to your overall
lifetime risk of cancer.
The government has a duty
to tell us of dangers that
they find (imagine how you
would feel if they didn’t then
someone else leaked the
story)! They don’t want to
stop us eating what we want
but to give us facts so we are
informed when we do.
Acrylamide is not a new
chemical. It’s used in
industry and is also found in
cigarette smoke. Reduce
your risk by: following
instructions on the pack
for cooking things like
oven chips, pies or pastries,
parboil potatoes before
roasting (who doesn’t) and
don’t store raw potatoes in
the fridge (it isn’t necessary).
And maybe you could
cook at a slightly lower
temperature or to a slightly
lighter colour. Businesses
will be doing the same. You
have the information, you
make the choice.
By Karen
Meadows
Safety In
Action
Twitter
@Safety_
InAction
12 V ale Family Magazine 2017