Nanotechnology in Food & Agriculture - denix

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(Section 8.3.2: paragraphs 18 & 19)”
• “We recommend that ingredients in
the form of nanoparticles undergo a
full safety assessment by the relevant
scientific advisory body before they are
permitted for use in products… (Section
8.3.3: paragraph 24 & 23)”
• “We recommend that the ingredients
lists of consumer products should
identify the fact that manufactured
nanoparticulate material has been
added (Section 8.3.3: paragraph 26)”
• “Until more is known about
environmental impacts of nanoparticles
and nanotubes, we recommend
that the release of manufactured
nanoparticles and nanotubes into
the environment be avoided as far as
possible (Section 5.7: paragraph 63)”
• “Specifically, in relation to two main
sources of current and potential
releases of free nanoparticles and
nanotubes to the environment, we
recommend:
(i) that factories and research
laboratories treat manufactured
nanoparticles and nanotubes as if they
were hazardous, and seek to reduce
or remove them from waste streams.
(Section 5.4: paragraph 41)
(ii) that the use of free (that is, not
fixed in a matrix) manufactured
nanoparticles in environmental
applications such as remediation be
prohibited until appropriate research
has been undertaken and it can
be demonstrated that the potential
benefits outweigh the potential risks.
(Section 5.4: paragraph 44)”
European Regulation
The European Union regulates food and
food packaging at a European Union
level, and once agreed the directives
and regulations are implemented on a
national basis (see Appendix B for an
overview of the applicable laws). REACH
(Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation
of Chemicals), the EU’s new chemical
| NANOTECHNOLOGY IN FOOD & AGRICULTURE
regulation explicitly excludes food and
most food packaging, although some
chemicals involved in creating packaging
may come under this legislation (ElAmin
2006b). Pesticides are regulated as either
plant protection products or biocidal
products and need to be assessed and
authorised before use. As many pesticides
are a source of surface and ground
water pollution, they are also subject to
water legislation. None of the existing EU
regulations applicable to agriculture, food
or food packaging currently consider or
mention nanoscale products or materials.
In July 2007, the European Parliament’s
Committee on the Environment, Public
Health and Food Safety recognised
that existing food safety standards
are inadequate to manage the new
risks associated with nanofoods. It
recommended that because of the
different toxicity profile of nanomaterials,
they should be assessed as new
chemicals: “the permitted limits for an
additive in nanoparticle form should not
be the same as when it is in traditional
[bulk] form” (Halliday 2007b). This
would require the introduction of new,
nanotechnology-specific safety standards
and testing requirements. Perhaps to this
end, the European Food Safety Authority
(EFSA) has been asked by the EU to
provide an initial scientific opinion on
the potential risks arising from the use of
nanotechnology in food (EAS 2007). The
deadline for this report is 31 March 2008.
Current EU food regulations require all
foods to be safe
The general safety article of the EU
Food Law Regulation 178/2002 requires
all food for consumption to be safe.
As an overarching safety article, this
should apply to all nanofoods and food
packaging containing nanomaterials.
However, as noted above, no European
regulations recognise the critical issue of
particle size, so if a substance has already
been approved in bulk form, there is no
regulatory trigger to require new safety
assessment before a particle is used in