Reducing acrylamide in commercial kitchens.
A practical UK guide for restaurants, cafés, pubs and takeaways on controlling acrylamide in chips, fried potatoes, toast and other relevant starchy foods through sourcing, storage, preparation, cooking and staff procedures.
Practical guidance from TKEG (The Kitchen Efficiency Group), built around everyday UK hospitality compliance and kitchen operations.
What is acrylamide?
Acrylamide is a chemical that forms naturally in some starchy foods when they are cooked at high temperatures, including by frying, roasting, baking, grilling and toasting. The Food Standards Agency says food businesses need simple practical steps to manage acrylamide within their food-safety management systems.
This is a chemical food-safety hazard, so it belongs alongside the microbiological, allergen and physical hazards already considered by a commercial kitchen.
Which foods are particularly relevant to caterers?
For hospitality kitchens, common examples include chips and other fried potato products, roast potatoes, bread and toast, toasted sandwiches and some bakery products. The applicable controls depend on what the business actually prepares and sells.
A restaurant that only reheats a manufacturer-controlled frozen product will have a different process from a fish-and-chip shop cutting and frying fresh potatoes, so the food-safety procedure should reflect the real operation.
Aim for golden yellow or lighter where appropriate
FSA guidance uses cooking colour as a practical control for relevant starchy foods. Excessive browning can increase acrylamide formation, so foods such as chips and toast should generally be cooked to a golden yellow colour or lighter where that is appropriate for the product.
This does not replace microbiological cooking requirements. Food still needs to be safely cooked; the process should control both hazards rather than deliberately undercook food to achieve a lighter colour.
Control fresh potatoes before they reach the fryer
Preparation and storage can influence acrylamide formation. FSA catering guidance describes measures such as using suitable potato varieties, cutting evenly and washing, soaking or blanching fresh-cut potatoes where appropriate to reduce excess sugars before frying.
Storage arrangements for potatoes used for high-temperature cooking should also form part of the business procedure. Follow current FSA guidance, supplier information and the needs of the actual product rather than applying a generic rule to every potato dish.
Control frying temperature, time and oil
For relevant potato products, avoid unnecessarily high frying temperatures and excessive cooking time. Follow manufacturer instructions for processed or frozen products and use an oil or fat suitable for the cooking process.
FSA catering guidance also recommends maintaining fryer and oil condition, including removing crumbs and debris. A repeatable frying method makes colour and cooking outcomes easier for staff to control.
Toast, bread and bakery products need controls too
Acrylamide is not only a chip-shop issue. Bread and bakery products can form acrylamide during high-temperature cooking. Avoid unnecessary over-browning and use a consistent process appropriate to the product.
For toasted products, a practical visual standard can help staff avoid repeatedly producing very dark toast while still following the business recipe and food-safety procedure.
Do benchmark levels mean a legal maximum?
No. The FSA describes acrylamide benchmark levels as performance indicators used to gauge the success of mitigation measures; they are not maximum limits.
Sampling and analysis requirements vary with the nature and scale of the food business. The legislation is intended to be proportionate, and different requirements apply to local independent businesses selling directly to consumers compared with larger centrally controlled operations.
What should a small restaurant or café record?
Records should be proportionate to the operation. The important point is that the relevant mitigation measures are actually part of the food-safety system and understood by staff.
What if chips or toast are repeatedly too dark?
Treat repeated over-browning as a process problem rather than only throwing away individual portions. Check fryer or toaster settings, portion size, potato preparation, cooking time, staff method, oil condition and whether the equipment is performing consistently.
Record meaningful corrective action where appropriate and review the safe method if the same problem continues.
How TKEG supports acrylamide controls
TKEG (The Kitchen Efficiency Group) can help businesses retain food-safety procedures, staff records, corrective actions, equipment issues and supporting evidence alongside the rest of their kitchen compliance system.
TKEG does not replace current FSA guidance, manufacturer instructions, product-specific assessment or the business HACCP-based food-safety system.
Practical guidance, checked against official UK sources.
TKEG guidance is written for practical hospitality use. Where a topic involves regulation, official schemes or workplace safety, businesses should also consult the current guidance from the relevant authority and apply it to their own operation.
TKEG is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Food Standards Agency, HSE or a local authority. Official guidance and legal requirements take precedence where applicable.
Put the guidance through a practical check
Use our free interactive tools to assess inspection readiness, generate a tailored checklist, check temperatures, review training needs, test allergen and COSHH controls, or review your HACCP-based food-safety management system.
Food Hygiene Rating Readiness Checker
Review 12 practical inspection-readiness checks across food handling, premises and management.
Use free tool →Commercial Kitchen Compliance Checklist Generator
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Compare chilled, hot-holding, cooking and reheating readings with common UK reference points.
Use free tool →Food Hygiene Training Requirements Checker
Check the training, instruction and supervision appropriate to different hospitality roles.
Use free tool →Allergen Compliance Self-Check
Review allergen information, staff procedures, cross-contact controls and PPDS labelling.
Use free tool →COSHH Compliance Self-Check
Review hazardous substances, COSHH assessments, storage, dilution, PPE, training and emergency controls.
Use free tool →HACCP & Food Safety Management Self-Check
Review hazards, controls, monitoring, corrective actions, verification, records and staff understanding.
Use free tool →Explore the main UK kitchen compliance topics
Move between the core topic hubs to understand how food-safety records and controls connect.
Continue with closely related guidance
HACCP and food safety management
Read the TKEG guide.
Cooking, reheating and cooling temperatures
Read the TKEG guide.
Food storage and stock rotation
Read the TKEG guide.
Food safety corrective actions
Read the TKEG guide.
Food hygiene training requirements
Read the TKEG guide.
What does a food hygiene inspector check?
Read the TKEG guide.
Related TKEG software and workflows
TKEG helps hospitality teams record, manage and evidence many of the day-to-day controls covered in our guides.
Common questions
Do restaurants have to manage acrylamide?
Food business operators producing or placing relevant foods on the market need appropriate acrylamide mitigation measures within their food-safety management systems. The measures are proportionate to the nature and size of the business.
What foods form acrylamide?
It forms particularly in some starchy foods cooked at high temperatures, including chips and other potato products, bread, toast and certain bakery products.
Should chips be golden rather than dark brown?
For relevant starchy foods, FSA guidance recommends aiming for a golden yellow colour or lighter where appropriate, while still ensuring the food is safely cooked.
Is the acrylamide benchmark level a maximum legal limit?
No. FSA guidance describes benchmark levels as performance indicators for assessing mitigation measures, not maximum limits.
Does every café need laboratory acrylamide testing?
Requirements are proportionate and differ by business type and scale. Small independent businesses should follow the mitigation measures applicable to their operation and current FSA guidance rather than assuming every caterer has the same testing requirement.
Turn the paperwork into a working system.
TKEG brings food-safety records, compliance evidence and kitchen management together.