Coffee has joined fatty foods such as chips and crisps at the centre of a widening health scare after German researchers found it contained traces of a cancer-causing chemical.
Researchers for German ecology magazine Oeko-Test found acrylamide, which causes cancer in laboratory rats, in all 24 brands of ground coffee and seven brands of espresso they tested.
The test found the substance was present in brewed coffee, although in much lower quantities than in ground coffee beans.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland yesterday advised people to eat a balanced diet and avoid eating excessive amounts of fatty foods. However, its chief executive, Mr Pat Wall, said he wouldn't advise people to stop drinking coffee, based on the evidence available so far.
Swedish scientists earlier this year found that acrylamide was formed in very high concentrations when carbohydrate-rich foods such as rice, potatoes and cereals were fried or baked, but it was not present when they were boiled. International experts, meeting in Geneva in June, called for more research into the agent.
They said acrylamide could cause cancer in animals and probably could do the same in humans, but it was too early to draw firm conclusions or make recommendations to the public about specific foods. The World Health Organisation, which organised the meeting of international experts along with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, repeated its long-standing nutrition advice - eat a balanced and varied diet, and limit consumption of fried and fatty foods.
Mr Wall said it was not disputed that acrylamide was present in many types of cooked starchy food, or that the high doses of the substance causes cancer in rats.
However, its effects on humans remained a "million dollar question", he said. People had to make their own choices. "Crisps for the children every day is not a good idea, but crisps as a treat, that's different."
The head of the German coffee federation, Mr Winfried Tigges, said acrylamide was not present in raw coffee beans, but was formed when they were roasted. He said coffee producers were researching ways of producing coffee without the substance building up.
"It is an issue for us. It is not clear at the moment whether acrylamide is dangerous for people, but if it is we want to get it out of coffee," said Mr Tigges.
