The government has ordered a check on all food products after scientists in Europe found that carbohydrate-rich foods contained acrylamide, a cancer-causing agent, a report said today.

Health Minister Chua Jui Meng said the government would immediately carry out a check on food products, especially those fried, baked and processed, to determine the level of the acrylamide.

"This finding is serious and we will immediately conduct a study to ascertain whether the food sold in our shelves contains high levels of acrylamide," Chua said, quoted by the New Straits Times daily.

Fried potatoes

Researchers in Sweden last month found unusually high levels of the chemical in every day foods such as fried potatoes, chips and bread.

The levels of acrylamide found in carbohydrate-rich foods that had been fried, grilled or baked at high temperatures far exceeded the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s recommended daily intake limit for the substance, which is one microgram in drinking water.

British scientists earlier this month confirmed the Swedish report when some food products tested were found to contain acrylamide levels 1,280 times higher than international safety limits.

The WHO is due to meet in Geneva on June 25-27 to discuss the research and its findings before making further recommendations.

Chua said his ministry would await the outcome of the WHO meeting before deciding the next course of action, adding food products found to contain high levels of the carcinogenic agent would be immediately removed from supermarket shelves.