The four-category NOVA food classification system defines Category 4 UPFs as "industrially manufactured food products made up of several ingredients (formulations) including sugar, oils, fats, and salt and food substances of no or rare culinary use."

Acrylamide is a contaminant that forms during high-temperature cooking processes (above 120 °C), such as frying or roasting, in foods rich in starch, certain sugars, or specific amino acids. The compound may be neurotoxic, genotoxic, carcinogenic, and damaging to reproductive and developmental health. Studies have also linked the contaminant to specific cancers, such as breast cancer.

The authors noted that RASFF notification frequency does not represent the true prevalence of acrylamide contamination and cannot, without additional consumption and concentration data, be used to estimate dietary exposure, cancer incidence, or disease burden.

Notifications Increased After EU Regulations Implemented

The study found that acrylamide-related notifications sharply increased following the introduction of Regulation (EU) 2017/2158 in 2017, which suggested benchmark levels and mitigation strategies for acrylamide in various food categories, and in 2019, when the food categories subject to acrylamide monitoring were expanded. The researchers emphasized that these increases in acrylamide-related notifications were more likely due to increased monitoring and enforcement than a true rise in contamination. Notifications remained consistently high during 2023–2025.

Cereals, Bakery Products Led Notifications

Cereals and bakery products, especially biscuits, were the most frequently implicated food category, followed by prepared dishes and snacks, primarily potato chips. Both categories undergo thermal processing, such as baking, frying, or roasting, under conditions conducive to acrylamide formation. Of the 98 notifications, 28 (28.6 percent) were classified as posing a serious risk.

These findings are consistent with dietary studies of EU populations. For example, the most recent French Total Diet Study (TDS), published in 2026, found that fried potatoes, sauteed potatoes, potato chips, and cookies were the foods most likely to be contaminated by acrylamide.

UPFs Represented 85 Percent of Acrylamide Notifications

When the researchers categorized products using the NOVA system, UPFs accounted for 84.7 percent of all acrylamide-related notifications. UPFs also represented 85.7 percent of notifications classified as posing a serious risk and 77.3 percent of alert notifications.

Within the UPF category, 32.4 percent of notifications were classified as serious-risk, 14.9 percent as potentially serious-risk, and 21.6 percent as potential-risk.

Market Surveillance Studies Show Acrylamide Variability Among Foods

The researchers also reviewed recent market surveillance studies and found substantial variability in acrylamide concentrations both within thermally processed food categories and between them. Although mitigation measures have reduced acrylamide in some products and markets, elevated concentrations continued to be reported in categories including potato products, breakfast cereals, biscuits, wafers, popcorn, and roasted coffee.

This reflects previous research suggesting that process contaminant formation differs among thermal processing types, such as extrusion cooking, puffing, and toasting. For example, a 2026 study from the University of Münster found that gun-puffing produced the highest concentrations of acrylamide in cereals.

Calls for Stronger Acrylamide Mitigation, Surveillance Efforts

The University of Novi Sad researchers concluded that UPFs should be prioritized for acrylamide mitigation and regulatory surveillance. They called for continuous monitoring, strengthened regulatory oversight, optimized processing technologies, and more effective mitigation strategies throughout the food supply chain.

In this vein, responding to calls from consumer advocates to take EU Regulation 2017/2158 a step further, the EU is considering specific, legally binding maximum levels of acrylamide for certain foods. Additionally, the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) is reviewing evidence on acrylamide occurrence levels to support potential policymaking decisions.

There is evidence that food industry efforts to mitigate acrylamide in food can be successful. For example, a notable finding from the most recent French TDS was a decrease in acrylamide levels among the most highly contaminated foods considered to be the main contributors to exposure, including the absence of acrylamide in roasted coffee.