The World Health Organisation has called an emergency summit to evaluate research that suggested that food such as crisps and chips may cause cancer.
The three day meeting, which opens in Geneva tomorrow, follows the
publication in April of a Swedish study that shows some starch-based foods cooked at high temperatures contained acrylamide.
Acrylamide, used to produce plastics and dyes and to purify drinking water, has been shown to be carcinogenic in animal experiments and is suspected of causing cancer among people exposed to high levels for long periods.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland said it was difficult to carry out a definitive analysis of the risks and benefits of foods containing acrylamide.
"It is not possible to make recommendations for avoiding its formation during the cooking process or reducing the levels present," the FSAI said.
The authority noted that consumers who maintained a healthy balanced diet, rich in fresh fruit and vegetables and low in fat, should not be "unduly concerned" about the findings.
A spokesman for the FSAI told ireland.comthe findings added to a wide body of information on healthy eating and that the FSAI "does not think people should stop eating any of the food products in which acrylamide has been reported," adding that the large consumption of fried fatty foods such as chips and potato crisps should be avoided.
The FSAI will be said it would be keeping a close eye on the WHO discussions and depending on the outcome would take the "appropriate action to ensure that the health of Irish consumers is protected."
A fact sheet on acrylamide is available on the FSAI website www.fsai.ie/industry_index.htmand information on the Swedish research is available on the website of the Swedish National Food Administration, at www.slv.se.