Acrylamide in Coffee: What It Is and What Agencies Say

Acrylamide in coffee is a natural by-product of roasting, not an additive. It forms when the amino acid asparagine and certain sugars in green coffee beans are heated above about 120°C (248°F), the same family of browning reactions that also creates coffee’s aroma and color. So, is acrylamide in coffee dangerous? Regulators take acrylamide in food seriously and ask producers to keep it as low as reasonably possible, but agencies that have looked specifically at coffee have not concluded that drinking it poses a significant cancer risk.

Below is what the main agencies say, what the measured levels look like, and how the famous California cancer warning saga ended.

Key takeaways

• Acrylamide forms in many heated, carbohydrate-rich foods, including roasted coffee, toast, fries and crisps.
• EFSA concluded in 2015, based on animal studies, that acrylamide in food potentially increases cancer risk for consumers of all ages.
• The EU set benchmark levels in 2017: 400 µg/kg for roast coffee and 850 µg/kg for instant coffee.
• In 2018 the FDA said current science does not support a cancer warning on coffee, and California exempted coffee from Proposition 65 warnings in 2019.

In this article

1. What is acrylamide and how it gets into coffee
2. What agencies say about acrylamide in coffee
3. How much acrylamide is in coffee?
4. The California Prop 65 coffee case
5. What this means for your daily cup
6. FAQ

What is acrylamide and how it gets into coffee

Acrylamide is a chemical that appears when foods containing asparagine and reducing sugars are cooked at high temperatures, roughly above 120°C. Frying, baking, toasting and roasting all create it. It is not added by roasters, and it is not specific to coffee: potato products, bread, biscuits and breakfast cereals are other well-known sources.

Coffee beans contain both asparagine and sugars, and roasting takes them well above 120°C, so some acrylamide is unavoidable. The browning chemistry involved is closely related to the Maillard reaction that produces the flavors you love, which we explain in our guide to the Maillard reaction in coffee roasting.

What agencies say about acrylamide in coffee

Why the positions are not contradictory

EFSA’s conclusion is about acrylamide across the whole diet, measured mostly in animal experiments at high doses. The coffee-specific decisions weigh the actual amounts people consume and the broader evidence on coffee drinking. In announcing its rule, California’s OEHHA pointed to an International Agency for Research on Cancer review that found inadequate evidence that coffee drinking causes cancer. Both views can be true at once: acrylamide is worth minimizing, and the evidence does not show that ordinary coffee drinking is a cancer hazard.

How much acrylamide is in coffee?

The UK Food Standards Agency publishes survey data on acrylamide in retail foods. Its coffee results give a useful sense of scale:

Two points stand out. First, average roast coffee levels sat well below the benchmark, while instant coffee ran closer to its higher limit; in 2020 one instant sample exceeded it. Second, those figures are for the dry grounds or powder. A cup of coffee is mostly water, and the agency noted that levels fall sharply once coffee is prepared as a drink.

A worked example

Suppose a ground coffee contains 240 µg/kg, the 2021 UK mean. A typical mug uses about 15 g of coffee. Even if every bit of acrylamide moved into the cup, that is 0.015 kg × 240 µg/kg = 3.6 µg per mug. That is a ceiling for illustration, not a measured value, but it shows why the number per cup is small. Benchmark levels are not safety limits; they are performance indicators that tell producers whether their mitigation is working.

The California Prop 65 coffee case

Proposition 65 requires warnings on products that expose Californians to chemicals the state lists as causing cancer, and acrylamide is on that list. In 2010, the Council for Education and Research on Toxics (CERT) sued Starbucks, Peet’s and other coffee companies for failing to warn about acrylamide. The defendants lost the first phase of trial in 2014, and in 2018 a Los Angeles Superior Court ruling said coffee sellers needed cancer warnings.

The story then turned. In June 2018 the state’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) proposed exempting coffee. In August 2018 the FDA publicly backed that move, saying the science did not support a warning. The exemption took effect on 1 October 2019, so coffee sold in California does not need a Prop 65 cancer warning for chemicals formed during roasting and brewing.

What this means for your daily cup

• Drink coffee for the reasons you enjoy it. No agency recommends avoiding coffee because of acrylamide.
• Remember the whole diet. Acrylamide comes from many cooked foods, from toast to fries, so coffee is only one part of the picture.
• Mind caffeine, which matters more day to day. For most healthy adults, the FDA and EFSA consider up to 400 mg of caffeine a day acceptable; see how much caffeine is too much.
• Ask a professional if you are pregnant, managing a health condition or have specific dietary concerns.

Fresh roasting at Feel Espresso

We roast every order 1–5 days before delivery and sell roasted coffee in several styles, from our House Blend medium roast to whole bean single origins. If you are choosing between formats for flavor and convenience, our comparison of instant vs ground coffee covers the differences, and you can browse our best sellers.

Acrylamide in coffee FAQ

Is acrylamide in coffee dangerous?

Regulators treat acrylamide in food as something to keep as low as reasonably achievable because of animal research. However, the FDA and California’s OEHHA concluded that coffee does not warrant a cancer warning.

Does instant coffee have more acrylamide?

As a dry powder, instant coffee generally measures higher than roast coffee, which is why its EU benchmark is higher (850 vs 400 µg/kg). You use much less powder per cup, so the amount in a prepared drink is small for both.

Does decaf coffee contain acrylamide?

Yes. Acrylamide comes from roasting, not caffeine, so decaf beans form it too.

Can I remove acrylamide from my coffee?

Not at home in any practical way. Brewing method and filters are not established ways to remove it. Reduction happens at the processing stage, which is what EU rules target.

Is acrylamide added to coffee?

No. It forms naturally during roasting from compounds already in the bean.

Sources

1. Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/2158 establishing mitigation measures and benchmark levels for acrylamide in food, 2017.
2. Acrylamide in food survey (FSIS), UK Food Standards Agency, 2023.
3. Coffee Products Exempted from Proposition 65, Perkins Coie, 2019.

Facts checked in October 2026.

This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant or take medication, ask your doctor before changing your caffeine intake.

Keep reading: The Maillard reaction in roasting · Light vs medium vs dark roast · Blend