Nanotechnology offers great potential for use in the food and drink supply chain, but the public’s food safety concerns still need to be overcome, according to the head of the Nanotechnology Industries Association (NIA).
The government is failing to do enough to encourage an open debate on the use of nanotechnology and bodies such as the Food Standards Agency (FSA) should step into the breach.
Industry must learn crucial communication lessons from past “techno disasters” such as GM and asbestos to ensure greater consumer acceptance of new technologies such as nanotechnology, according to scientific think tank Matter.
Manufacturers risk new nanotechnology-based food products being rejected in a similar way to genetically modified (GM) foods, unless they start engaging with consumers over their perceptions of the risks involved, a new Food Standards Agency (FSA) commissioned...
The Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) has welcomed moves by the European Commission (EC) to develop a definition of nanomaterials for regulatory purposes, but raised some concerns about the draft definition currently out for consultation.
From antimicrobial sprays to nano-sieves for removing allergens, ultra-fine emulsions and anti-fouling nano-coatings, FoodManufacture.co.uk provides a round-up of current and potential application areas for nanomaterials in the food and drink industry.
Agreeing on a legal definition of nanomaterials that satisfies food manufacturers, regulators, enforcement bodies and consumers will be hugely challenging, according to experts gathered at a nanotechnology workshop in Leatherhead last week.
No one is expecting food manufacturers to share commercially sensitive information about nanotechnology projects, but adopting a policy of radio silence on the subject will only reinforce the perception that they have something to hide, according to experts...
Many major food companies have become hesitant to promote their research into the potential of nanotechnology for fear of piquing consumer concerns while it is still in its infancy, according to an expert from market researcher Lux Research.
For regulatory purposes, the definition of nanoparticles must address functionality as well as size, according to former Food Standards Agency (FSA) chairman Lord Krebs.
"Is the food industry being unnecessarily secretive about nanotechnology? That was the criticism levelled at us by the House of Lords' Science and Technology Committee, which published a major report on the topic last month.
Food manufacturers’ reluctance to disclose what research they are carrying out on products using nanotechnology risks a public backlash similar to that which occurred against genetically modified (GM) foods, warned the House of Lords Science and Technology...
The introduction of nanotechnology is being heralded as the dawn of a new industrial age. John Dunn discovers exactly what it promises for food manufacturers
