A method was developed and validated for the determination of acrylamide in carbohydrate-based foods. Solid-phase extraction employing a mixed-bed anion and cation exchange cartridge in series with a C18 extraction disk was used to clean-up water extracts of food samples before analysis by liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry detection. The limit of detection was calculated as approximately 25 microg kg(-1) and the limit of reporting was 50 microg kg(-1). The average method recovery for 84 samples from a range of matrices reporting was 99% with a relative standard deviation of 11.2%. A survey was conducted of 112 samples of carbohydrate-based foods composited from 547 products available in the Australian market. The analytical results were used in conjunction with Australian food consumption data derived from the 1995 National Nutrition Survey (NNS) to prepare preliminary dietary exposure estimates of Australians to acrylamide through only the food groups examined. Mean dietary exposure to acrylamide resulting from consumption of the foods tested, for Australians aged 2 years and above, was estimated as 22-29 microg day(-1) (equivalent to 0.4-0.5 microg kg(-1) bodyweight day(-1)) and between 73 and 80 microg day(-1) (1.4 and 1.5 microg kg(-1) bodyweight day(-1)) for 95th percentile consumers. Young children (2-6 years) consuming acrylamide-containing foods had a higher acrylamide exposure on a per kilogram bodyweight basis (mean 1.0-1.3 microg kg(-1) bodyweight day(-1)). The estimated exposure of Australians to acrylamide is similar to that estimated for other countries.