Furan and its alkylated derivatives are possibly carcinogenic process contaminants formed during thermal food processing, such as roasting, baking, extrusion cooking, and toasting. They can be generated from a wide range of precursors and detected in various foods, including breakfast cereals. Raw materials, moisture content, and process conditions—such as temperature and mechanical energy—affect the formation of furans. Through laboratory experiments, commercial samples, and on-site sampling at manufacturers, critical processing steps were identified, and process conditions with a high impact on furan formation were identified. A parallel determination of acrylamide formation enabled correlation analyses with furan and alkylfurans.