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Listen to this siteMonday 22 May 2006
This draft report presents the findings of a review by the Food Standards Agency to identify potential gaps in regulation or risk assessment relating to the use of nanotechnologies and the potential deliberate or adventitious presence of manufactured nanomaterials in food.
Annie-Laure Robin
Novel Foods, Additives & Supplements Division
Food Standards Agency
Room 515b, Aviation House
125 Kingsway
London
WC2B 6NH
E-mail:
novelfoods@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
Responses are requested by: 14 July 2006
PDF Document
(pdf 51KB)Nanotechnology is a broad term that encompasses the manufacture and use of materials and structures at the nanometre scale. (A nanometre is one millionth of a millimetre). This covers a very wide range of activities, so it is probably more correct to refer to nanotechnologies rather than one single nanotechnology. Nanomaterials have been defined by the Royal Society as having one dimension less than 100 nanometres, but this is not a rigid definition and may change as the science evolves.
In its widest sense, nanotechnology and nanomaterials are a natural part of food processing and conventional foods, as the characteristic properties of many foods rely upon nanometre sized components (e.g. nanoemulsions and foams). However, recent technological advances pave the way for manufactured nanoparticles to be added to food. These could be finely divided forms of existing ingredients, or completely novel chemical structures.
Engineering at the nanoscale also has the potential to create new opportunities for the packaging industries and various applications of the technology are being suggested. However, the Agency is not aware of any specific uses of nanotechnology/nanoparticles in foods currently marketed in the UK. Manufactured nanomaterials could also arise in foods as a result of environmental contamination.
In recognition of the potential importance of applications of nanotechnology, the Government commissioned an independent review by the Royal Society (RS) and the Royal Academy of Engineering (RAE). The RS/RAE report was published in July 2004 and made a number of recommendations, as a result of which the Government is undertaking various actions. One of these is for relevant Government Departments, including the Food Standards Agency, to undertake regulatory reviews to assess whether existing regulations are appropriate to protect humans and the environment from hazards associated with the application of nanotechnologies.
The intention is that these reviews will be part of an overall review of the regulatory gaps, which is being co-ordinated by the Office of Science and Innovation (OSI, formerly the Office of Science and Technology).
The draft report of the Agency's regulatory review is being issued for public comment before the document is finalised and formally passed to OSI. In particular, the Agency would welcome views on
The FSA Board was given an intersessional paper for information on nanotechnoology in food in April 2006. It is available at the 'See Also' link below.
This consultation has been prepared in accordance with the (External) HM Government Code of Practice on Consultation , which states that a consultation must follow better regulation best practice, including carrying out an Impact Assessment (Regulatory Impact Assessment in Scotland). The assessment is included in the consultation documents.
We are interested in what you thought of this consultation and would therefore welcome your general feedback on both the consultation package and overall consultation process. If you would like to assist us to improve the quality of future consultations, please feel free to share your thoughts with us by using the consultation feedback questionnaire.
Download word Consultation feedback questionnaire (Word)
Download pdf Consultation feedback questionnaire (pdf)
In accordance with the FSA principle of openness our Information Centre at Aviation House will hold a copy of the completed consultation. Responses will be open to public access upon request. The FSA will also publish a summary of responses, which may include personal data, such as your full name and contact address details. If you do not want this information to be released, please complete and return the Publication of Personal Data Form. Return of this form does not mean that we will treat your response to the consultation as confidential, just your personal data.
Download word Data protection form (Word)
Download pdf Data protection form (pdf)
Within three months of a consultation ending we aim to publish a summary of responses received and provide a link to it from this page.
If, after three months, the summary is still not showing, please contact the person who was responsible for the original consultation. Alternatively, you can contact Judith Taylor, the FSA Consultation Co-ordinator, on 020 7276 8633.
Email:
judith.taylor@foodstandards.gsi.gov.uk
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