Heat induced food contaminants have attracted attention of both the scientific community and the public in recent years. The presence of substances considered possibly or probably carcinogenic to humans has triggered an extensive debate on the healthiness of even staple foods. In that respect acrylamide, furan, and chloropropanols were the main substances of concern. Their widespread occurrence in processed food, which concomitantly leads to considerable exposure of humans to them, led either to the setting of maximum limits (for some chloropropanols) or at least the initiation of monitoring programs in order to put risk assessment on a solid data basis. Acrylamide, furan and chloropropanols are small molecules with chemical and/or physical properties that make their analysis challenging. Their amount in food ranges typically from below limit of detection to hundreds of µg kg-1 or even mg kg-1. However, a number of recently published scientific reports deal with the analysis of these substances in different kinds of food. The aim of this publication is to give an overview on analytical approaches for the determination of acrylamide, furan and chloropropanols in foodstuffs. ; JRC.D.8-Food safety and quality