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 Nanotechnology Quintuples Heating Capacity of Solar Water Heaters -- Renewable Energy Magazine (9/1/2010) Researchers at the University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Brazil, have developed a solar heating system that uses nanotechnology to heat water to five times the temperature of a conventional system, while also permitting the collector surface area to retain up to 98 percent of heat from solar radiation. [More] Pakistan's Science Minister Attacks Funding Cuts -- SciDev.Net (9/1/2010) The Pakistan government has cuts its funds for the Pakistan Ministry of Science and Technology's 2010-2011 budget by almost half, causing the science minister, Muhammad Azam Khan Swati, to criticize his own government. [More] Nanotechnology: Small wonders -- Nature (9/1/2010) This article takes an in-depth look at the United States National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI)'s first 10 years - to find out where the money went and what the initiative plans to do next. [More] Nanotech on Farmers' Fields -- Silicon Nutrition (8/31/2010) A plant nutrition study that addresses nano-sized plant nutrients is now available from the Landbouwkundige Uitgeverij G.C. van den Berg (Veenendaal, The Netherlands). [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.