More unknown ingredients in our food: nano particles

Have you ever heard of a nanoparticle? Nanoparticles are the result of nanotechnology, the design and manipulation of materials thousands of times smaller than the width of a human hair. And they’re in our food.

Britain is questioning the safety of nanoparticles in the food supply. Britain’s upper house of parliament said in a recent report that the use of nanoparticles in food and food packaging is likely to grow dramatically in the next decade, but too little is known about their safety.

The technology has been hailed as a new way to make stronger and more lightweight materials, better cosmetics and tastier or healthier foods, but a paucity of scientific research across the world means its potential benefits and risks in food are largely unknown.

“The technologies have the potential to deliver some significant benefits to consumers, but it is important that detailed and thorough research into potential health and safety implications ... is undertaken now to ensure that any possible risks are identified," said Lord Krebs, chair of the Science and Technology Committee which produced the report.

The global market for nanotechnology in food was $410 million in 2006 and is set to grow to $5.6 billion in 2012. [1] There are currently at least 600 products involving nanomaterials on the market but only around 80 of them are food or food-related.

Britain would like to create new rules to compel food companies to reveal the presence of nanoparticles in food, and also called for a voluntary public register of food products and packaging containing nanomaterials, as it isn’t sure whether nanoparticles in packaging can leach into the food.

Remember, dear readers, that Britain has mandatory labeling laws for foods containing genetically modified organisms, as does most of Europe. We know this legislation has not yet passed in America, and the U.S. National Organic Program does not yet address nanotechnology, thus these types of particles can even be included in foods labeled organic!

Lord Krebs said the food industry in Britain and worldwide was being "quite obscure" about any work they are doing on using nanotechnology for products or packaging -- an attitude he described as "exactly the wrong approach."

"The food industry must be much more open with the public about research it has undertaken in this area and where it sees nanomaterials being used in food production in future," he said.

The report's authors warned that the lessons of a public backlash against genetically modified food in Europe showed that "secrecy breeds mistrust, and that openness and transparency are crucial to maintain public confidence."

Some studies suggest nanoparticles behave differently in the body than larger ones. A scientific advisor on the report said, "Most of the research so far... has shown that these particles can penetrate barriers and get into the system -- and they can find their way into the liver, into the kidney and even into the brain. Knowing that, we really need now to concentrate on finding out what their effects are."

If only the U.S. could be as forward thinking as Britain in Europe in issues regarding food safety…