“Stupid Spelt Backwards: Acrylamide,” By David Zaruk, The Riskmonger.
In the early 2000s, when risk issues were popping up like poison mushrooms, the Swedish regulators decided to raise alarm bells about the health risks from acrylamide (with human exposures brought about by cooking starchy foods). While other perceived risks attracted patient calls for further research (EMF, GMOs, EDCs, MMR …), the risk from acrylamide exposure drew howls of laughter and cemented Sweden’s reputation as alarmist and unscientific. Banning starchy foods because of the way they have been cooked (for centuries) was too stupid even for the skittish Western culture following from the Risk-Risk 90s. But in the Age of Stupid, fear-mongering about acrylamide has come back with a vengeance, with activists pushing policymakers into the Ring of the Ridiculous, forcing the overly-gamed regulatory system to legislate on how we cook our food. Read more.
