FDA: We Can Handle Nanotech Safety

Summary posted by Meridian on 6/10/2009
Source: Food Production Daily
Author: Caroline Scott-Thomas

Dr. Annette McCarthy, of the United States Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said this past weekend, while speaking at the IFT International Food Nanoscience Conference in Anaheim, California, that the FDA already has sufficient authority to assess the safety of nanotechnology, and that its regulation has nothing to do with its size. McCarthy said that "It's industry's responsibility to make sure a product is safe and part of that is making sure that product is regulated. We believe that the regulatory authority is sufficient to address nanotechnology but there are further questions we need to address." Nanotechnology is used by the food industry to detect bacteria in packaging and produce stronger flavors and colorings, among other uses. The FDA is in the process of developing a guidance document for nanotechnology, which should be available before the end of 2010, to assist food manufacturers. McCarthy also said that an FDA designation of nanotech ingredients as "Generally Regarded as Safe" (GRAS), has not been ruled out but would be difficult to achieve because current scientific knowledge is not deep enough to conclusively prove their safety. "For a lot of the nanotechnologies that are being designed at the moment, you would have a hard time today to come to FDA and prove that it's generally recognized as safe. But two years down the line, it could be a slam dunk; it could be very simple," she added. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

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our team contact us site map	FDA: We Can Handle Nanotech Safety Summary posted by Meridian on 6/10/2009 Source: Food Production Daily Author: Caroline Scott-Thomas Dr. Annette McCarthy, of the United States Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said this past weekend, while speaking at the IFT International Food Nanoscience Conference in Anaheim, California, that the FDA already has sufficient authority to assess the safety of nanotechnology, and that its regulation has nothing to do with its size. McCarthy said that "It's industry's responsibility to make sure a product is safe and part of that is making sure that product is regulated. We believe that the regulatory authority is sufficient to address nanotechnology but there are further questions we need to address." Nanotechnology is used by the food industry to detect bacteria in packaging and produce stronger flavors and colorings, among other uses. The FDA is in the process of developing a guidance document for nanotechnology, which should be available before the end of 2010, to assist food manufacturers. McCarthy also said that an FDA designation of nanotech ingredients as "Generally Regarded as Safe" (GRAS), has not been ruled out but would be difficult to achieve because current scientific knowledge is not deep enough to conclusively prove their safety. "For a lot of the nanotechnologies that are being designed at the moment, you would have a hard time today to come to FDA and prove that it's generally recognized as safe. But two years down the line, it could be a slam dunk; it could be very simple," she added. The article can be viewed online at the link below. The original article may still be available at www.foodproductiondaily.com/Quality-Safety/FDA-we-can-handle-nanotech-s... As tagged by Meridian Institute: Implications: Human Health Risks, Governance, Environmental Risks Regions: North America Stakeholders: Government, Industry Food And Agriculture: Food, Sensors, Packaging Related Forums: Food and Agriculture Human Health Risks and Worker Safety Environmental Risks Governance print format	NDN Home Subscribe Manage Subscription Search News Archives Understanding Public Debate on Nanotechnologies: Options for Framing Public Policy -- The Innovation Society (2/8/2010) The Governance and Ethics Unit of the Directorate General for Research (DG Research) of the European Commission (EC) has published an overview paper on options for framing public policy on nanotechnologies. [More] UN Patent Filings Dropped for 1st Time Since 1978 -- ABC news (2/8/2010) The United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), an entity through which a company can, for a fee, file a request for patent protection in any or all of the 142 countries that have subscribed to the U.N.'s Patent Cooperation Treaty, reported that the number of international patent filings dropped last year for the first time since 1978. [More] TECHNOLOGY: Science Panel Probes Renewable Energy's Current Use of China's Rare Metals -- Environment & Energy Daily (2/8/2010) A United States House of Representatives Science and Technology subcommittee this week will hold a hearing on rare earth mineral production and the resource's role in the growing clean energy industry. [More] Nanofood for Thought -- Nature Nanotechnology (2/5/2010) This editorial, in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, is in response to the recent report, "Nanotechnologies and Food", released in January by the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, United Kingdom, that criticized the food industry for failing to be transparent about its research into the uses of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials. [More] More News... Learn how to include these headlines on your own website by clicking here. Please email us if you require text-only versions of the daily emails.