Friet culture could be at risk if Europe passes fried food regulation
The European Commission has drafted a proposed law to regulate foods that produce a lot of acrylamide, which has been linked to cancer in rodents, putting double-frying of chips at risk
Acrylamide is a natural result of frying some foods at high temperatures. Potatoes in particular produce what some experts consider to be a dangerous level of acrylamide, which is being studied as a cancer-causing chemical.
If requirements are made to alter methods of cooking to limit acrylamides to a certain level, the fries would have to be blanched – or pre-cooked – before being delivered to frietkots and other outlets serving fries. That would mean those outlets would not be able to fry them twice – a Belgian tradition that has made the country’s fries famous around the world.
In a letter to European food safety commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, Weyts said he supported efforts to minimise consumption of acrylamide. “It is important, however, to think carefully and not take measures that have unintended and far-reaching consequences for our rich gastronomic tradition.”
The government’s heritage recognition covers the knowledge and traditions of the friet culture, as well as the famed frietkot – the roadside stands where frieten are sold with all the toppings.