In its report Nanotechnologies and Food, published today, the Science and Technology Committee of The House of Lords in UK, is highly critical of the food industry for failing to be transparent about its research into the uses of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials.
It noted that transparency is key for ensuring public trust in both food safety and scientific developments, and argued that although there is no evidence that the use of nanotechnologies in food currently presents a threat to consumer safety, food companies’ failure to publish or discuss details of their research is likely to undermine public confidence in the technology.
Chairman of the Committee Lord Krebs said: "The food industry was very reluctant to put its head above the parapet and declare openly what kind of research was going on to develop the use of nanotechnologies in food. Part of the reason for that is the food industry got its fingers burned over the last round of novel technology, namely GM technology. So their attitude is to keep a very low profile and not to talk too loudly about what they may or may not be doing.”
He added: “We already know from the scientists the kinds of things that might be in the pipeline: mayonnaise with a much lower fat content or ice cream with a much lower fat content. And I think the food industry could talk in general terms about the kinds of products that might be developed without being too specific and without giving away the intellectual property of their particular manufacturing technique.”
Rather than seeking a legal requirement for the labelling of foods containing nanoparticles in the EU – similar to that required for foods containing genetically modified organisms – the Committee wants the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to supervise a publicly available online register of food and food packaging containing nanomaterials in products that are already on the market.
You can access the full report of the committee here. THose interested in nano technology can also take look at Nanotechnology Homepage of the European Commission. I also recommend this article appeared in The Observer, few months ago.
In this blog I try to compile the news related with food industry. This includes food companies, retailers, ingredients, regulations, mergers&acqusitions and others. In each post I try to designate the source of the news and add a link to the original document.
I hope you find it useful. For any comments please feel free to send me an email (turgut@getfoodnews.com). You can post your comments inside the boxes appearing at the end of each posting when clicked the headline.
