OTTAWA — Health Canada has entered the first phase of its acrylamide monitoring program. The first sampling phase will identify which commodities significantly contribute to acrylamide exposure. The sampling plan will include bread, pizza, breaded chicken nuggets, coffee, french fries, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals, potato chips, cookies, crackers, baby food, biscuits, snack foods, cocoa, baking chocolate, cakes, pies, peanut butter, olives and prune juice.

The American Cancer Society lists acrylamide as a probable carcinogen.

"The current sampling plan and resulting survey will help to further develop the Canadian occurrence database for acrylamide in food, so that BCS (Bureau of Chemical Safety) can update its dietary exposure estimates and health risk assessment for acrylamide, as well as identify which food commodities contribute the most to acrylamide dietary exposure," Health Canada said.

The Chemical Health Hazard Assessment Division and Food Research Division of the Bureau of Chemical Safety developed the program in consultation with the Biostatistics and Computer Applications Division of the Bureau of Food Policy and Science Integration in the Food Directorate.