WRITTEN QUESTION E-1350/02

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(13 May 2002)

Subject: Alarming levels of the carcinogen acrylamide in foods consumed in large quantities

1. Is the Commission aware of the minor wave of panic which spread through Sweden upon publication of a research report indicating that numerous cakes and fried foods made from starch or sugar contained a substance which can cause cancer: the water treatment substance acrylamide? Is it aware that shares in the US companies Kelloggs and Quaker Oats Co and the Finnish company CHIPS ABP immediately fell substantially, while the food safety administration's website became overloaded?

2. What information does the Commission have concerning the study performed at the University of Stockholm which concluded that people who eat large quantities of crisps, chips, cornflakes and certain types of bread run an increased risk of contracting cancer, quoting an estimate of hundreds of people per annum in Sweden alone?

3. Is fighting cancer a strictly national matter in Europe, or is it also partly a matter for the Food Safety Agency, which is to be temporarily based in Brussels?

4. To what extent is fighting cancer a priority of the European Union? Can the Commission compare the amounts spent on anti-cancer campaigns with those spent on promoting the European Union itself? Might such a comparison be damaging to the EU's image if it proves to be the case that less is spent on cancer research?

5. In addition, how much do the individual Member States, separately from EU, spend on cancer research, and how much money do the EU and the Member States spend on promoting the eating of fresh vegetables, which is generally believed to reduce the risk of cancer?

6. Will the Commission promote larger-scale tests? How much funding might such research receive from the EU and Member States?

Answer given by Mr Byrne on behalf of the Commission

(5 July 2002)

The Honourable Member is referred to the answer given by the Commission to Written Question E-1404/02 from Mr Dehousse(1).

As regards the specific issues related to cancer, it needs to be highlighted that the claims made regarding an increased cancer toll from acrylamide in food are based upon estimates. However, no long-term study has been performed by the Swedish researchers. As there is no scientific publication on this subject it is presently difficult to judge the accuracy of the published information in relation to an increased cancer risk in the population.

Fighting cancer is not strictly a national matter. The Commission embarked in 1987 on a series of action plans to prevent cancer, the Europe against Cancer programme. The Commission has also supported European cancer research through a series of multiannual framework research and development programmes for at least the same period of time. Within its field of responsibility, the European Food Safety Authority will also address issues relevant to fighting cancer.

Fighting cancer is a high priority of the Commission. Although the Europe against Cancer programme will finish at the end of 2002, it will be succeeded by a public health action plan, which will address issues relevant to cancer prevention. Between 1996 and 2002, the Europe against Cancer programme has committed EUR 90,6 million to a multitude of activities, such as the European Week against Cancer. Furthermore, the new framework research programme also provides for European research on cancer. It is not possible to produce a comparison between total spending on cancer-related activities and other information programmes concerning the Union. The same applies to total spending by all Member States on cancer research and comparisons of fresh fruit and vegetable promotion.

Up to now, only certain types of fruit (citrus fruits, apples and nuts) have been the subject of Community-cofinanced programmes to promote them on the internal market. The new Community rules have now extended cofinancing to fruit and vegetables programmes. The Commission is currently examining the proposals for programmes on this subject submitted by the Member States, who had until 15 May 2002 to do so. The indicative budget allocations each year for Community cofinancing (50 %) are EUR 6 million for fresh fruit and vegetables and EUR 6 million for processed fruit and vegetables.

The Commission is currently exploring how the large-scale European investigation of cancer and nutrition cohort study (EPIC), which has been cofinanced by the Europe against Cancer programme for more then ten years, could be exploited to answer the question of the relative cancer risk from acrylamide in food. EPIC is coordinated by the World Health Organisation's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). The study covers approximately 500 000 European participants from nine Member States and Norway. Twenty-four different research centres are following the nutritional habits of the participants preceding the later occurrence of cancer.

(1) OJ C 277 E, 14.11.2002, p. 201.