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Is Nano-based Food Really Food?

Posted July 11, 2010 7:52 AM

First, there was genetically altered food. Now, nanotechnology has introduced the potential for nanoparticles in the food supply. The public has a mixed reaction when it comes to the safety of nano-based products, so how will they perceive nano-based food? As food scientists turn to nanotechnology to make foods low-fat or lower in caloric content, will the desire to be thin outstrip our anxieties about what might be in our food?

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artsmith
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#1

Re: Is Nano-based Food Really Food?

07/11/2010 7:04 PM

Surely this is complete hogwash. Nanofood? Mars "Slim" gives way to Mars "Nano"?

Can you really have a nanoparticle of chocolate? And won't the product just taste like water with a little chocolate? There's no way your craving for calories is going to be satisfied... you'll have to megasize your nanofood.

Wonder how small the nanoprices will be.

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Henry at United Precast
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#2

Re: Is Nano-based Food Really Food?

07/12/2010 7:33 AM

Although I have limited knowledge concerning nanotechnology and particularly with regard to its uses in food production, it is my understanding that nano particles are so small that they are able to pass through the many natural barriers the human body has for protection against bacteria, etc. The absorption of nutrients from food is based at least partially on what these natural barriers will allow to enter, so it seems logical that as nanotechnology develops and is used in food preparation this will introduce a whole new issue of what our bodies absorb from these new foods. My concerns include not knowing how my body will react to the introduction of new substances into my degestive system, and whether or not I will even know I am being used as an experiment. Will we or can we depend on the FDA and other government or private organizations to conduct enough research to "protect us" from this invasion of nanotechnology? Seems far-fetched, doesn't it? Or is it?
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Anonymous Poster
#3

Re: Is Nano-based Food Really Food? No, not really.

07/12/2010 2:27 PM

"nano-based"? Come on, use some of that brain matter.

More correctly would be nano-technological based food or even nano-tech (since that has come into common use), if you're too lazy to write it out completely. "Nano-" is the SI prefix meaning 10−9

Unfortunately, it has lost its connection to the numerological world due to its misuse by so-called science writers.
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Henry at United Precast
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#4

Re: Is Nano-based Food Really Food?

07/12/2010 3:10 PM

Here is an excerpt from an article on the subject that got my attention previously. It's from this site <http://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=1360.php>

"Because there is little government oversight in this area, says Craig Minowa, an environmental scientist for the

Organic Consumers Association (OCA), the public may have little to say about it. "Products are not labeled, so consumers cannot choose to avoid them," he explains.

The OCA, a grassroots non-profit public interest organization based in the U.S., is one of many vocal organizations calling for government regulation on nanofoods, at least until more safety testing is completed. These organizations argue that a lack of evidence of harm is not the same as reasonable certainty of safety, which is what food companies must demonstrate to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before introducing a new food additive.
"The OCA is focusing its efforts on educating the public about the potential risks of nanofoods and putting pressure on government agencies to increase oversight," says Minowa, adding that ever-tightening federal budgets, at least in the U.S., will make the latter a huge challenge. "There's a lack of consumer understanding, a lack of government oversight and a lack of labeling," says Minowa. "Combine these with a lack of testing and you have an equation for serious problems."
Although there is far less opposition to nanopackaging than there is to nanofoods, there are some who argue that the use of these devices will allow the food industry to further shirk their corporate responsibilities.
"While devices capable of detecting food-borne pathogens could be useful in monitoring the food supply, sensors and 'smart packaging' will not address the root problems inherent in industrial food production that result in contaminated foods: faster meat (dis)assembly lines, increased mechanization, a shrinking labor force of low-wage workers, fewer inspectors, the lack of corporate and government accountability and the great distances between food producers, processors and consumers," says the ETC Group (

"Down on the Farm: The Impact of Nano-scale Technologies on Food and Agriculture" pdf download 1 MB), a conservation and sustainable advancement organization. "Just as it has become the consumer's responsibility to make sure meat has been cooked long enough to ensure that pathogens have been killed, consumers will soon be expected to act as their own meat inspectors so that industry can continue to trim safety overhead costs and increase profits."

Interestingly enough, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in the U.S. declared on November 22, 2006 that it intends to to regulate a large class of consumer items made with silver nanoparticles. The decision, which will affect not only washing machines but other consumer products such as odor-destroying shoe liners, food-storage containers, air fresheners, and a wide range of other products that contain nanosilver, marks a significant reversal in federal policy.
Nanosilver containing consumer products that are applied to food packaging are not regulated by the EPA but by the FDA. The FDA is still considering whether it needs new rules for nanomaterials."
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russ123
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#6
In reply to #4

Re: Is Nano-based Food Really Food?

08/16/2010 3:19 PM

Don't know anything about nanofood but if the Organic Consumers Association is against it then I guess I like it. Same with 'a conservation and sustainable advancement organization'.

Time to learn about something new!
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artsmith
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#5

Re: Is Nano-based Food Really Food?

07/12/2010 4:11 PM

Apparently nanoparticles have already been allowed in cosmetics, without any consideration of the health risks involved. In spite of this, it surprises me that corporate food producers would even consider it. Any particle that is really on a nano scale will intercalate with DNA, causing mutations and ultimately disease, cancer, death. The last place you want it is in your food or your shampoo for that matter.

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