Call for nanoscale food-additives to undergo new testing for safety

13 January 2009

Nanotechnology policy experts in the US are urging that food additives that contain nanoscale materials be subject to new safety testing to ensure that their use does not pose unintended risks.

The call comes as nanotechnology emerges as a major regulatory challenge facing the incoming Obama administration in the US. It also takes place amid debate over how to restructure the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and possibly create a separate government food safety agency.

Policy experts at the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN), a project funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, urge the FDA to issue guidance on how existing listings for food additives and "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) substances apply to nanoscale materials. This action by FDA would help increase consumer confidence and private-sector investment in new technologies. According to companies that use nanoscale materials in foods, the technology can be used to improve food taste, quality, and safety.

"Failure by FDA to issue any guidance for nano food-additives leaves the door open to manufacturers to make their own judgments and enter the market without FDA clearance, despite having a material with novel properties," says David Rejeski, the director of PEN. "Clear FDA guidance for nanoscale food-additives combined with a pre-market safety evaluation would provide a level playing field and rules of the road for industry developing new applications based on nanoscale materials."

Congress created the GRAS concept to build some flexibility into the oversight system by exempting additives that truly were considered safe from the pre-market approval requirement. FDA and industry have used this authority over the years to avoid the food additive approval process for well-tested substances whose safety is recognized by experts.

"The time may come, when the body of scientific evidence demonstrating the safety of a nanoscale food additive is sufficient to meet the GRAS standard. But the science is not close to meeting that level of confidence now," says Andrew Maynard, chief science advisor for PEN.

The worldwide nanotechnology food market is estimated to grow to over $20 billion dollars by 2010. An inventory that includes 84 consumer products in the food and beverage sector which are currently available to consumers and which manufacturers claim are nanotechnology, can be found at www.nanotechproject.org/consumerproducts.

A number of PEN reports and statements detailing the challenges nanotechnology in food pose to FDA oversight and to consumer perceptions are available at: www.nanotechproject.org/news/archive/7037/

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Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames.	Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. Call for nanoscale food-additives to undergo new testing for safety 13 January 2009 Nanotechnology policy experts in the US are urging that food additives that contain nanoscale materials be subject to new safety testing to ensure that their use does not pose unintended risks. The call comes as nanotechnology emerges as a major regulatory challenge facing the incoming Obama administration in the US. It also takes place amid debate over how to restructure the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and possibly create a separate government food safety agency. Policy experts at the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN), a project funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, urge the FDA to issue guidance on how existing listings for food additives and "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) substances apply to nanoscale materials. This action by FDA would help increase consumer confidence and private-sector investment in new technologies. According to companies that use nanoscale materials in foods, the technology can be used to improve food taste, quality, and safety. "Failure by FDA to issue any guidance for nano food-additives leaves the door open to manufacturers to make their own judgments and enter the market without FDA clearance, despite having a material with novel properties," says David Rejeski, the director of PEN. "Clear FDA guidance for nanoscale food-additives combined with a pre-market safety evaluation would provide a level playing field and rules of the road for industry developing new applications based on nanoscale materials." Congress created the GRAS concept to build some flexibility into the oversight system by exempting additives that truly were considered safe from the pre-market approval requirement. FDA and industry have used this authority over the years to avoid the food additive approval process for well-tested substances whose safety is recognized by experts. "The time may come, when the body of scientific evidence demonstrating the safety of a nanoscale food additive is sufficient to meet the GRAS standard. But the science is not close to meeting that level of confidence now," says Andrew Maynard, chief science advisor for PEN. The worldwide nanotechnology food market is estimated to grow to over $20 billion dollars by 2010. An inventory that includes 84 consumer products in the food and beverage sector which are currently available to consumers and which manufacturers claim are nanotechnology, can be found at www.nanotechproject.org/consumerproducts. A number of PEN reports and statements detailing the challenges nanotechnology in food pose to FDA oversight and to consumer perceptions are available at: www.nanotechproject.org/news/archive/7037/ Bookmark this page Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames. To top	Your browser does not support inline frames or is currently configured not to display inline frames.