The UK’s food industry was this morning (8 January) criticised for its lack of transparency over the use of nanotechnology in food and packaging production.
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The UK’s House of Lords Science and Technology Committee said that an open approach to communicating the benefits of nanotechnology was key to building public trust.
Lord Krebs, who chaired the inquiry into the use of nanotechnology in food, emphasised that nanotechnologies have the potential to deliver “significant benefits” to consumers and that their use is likely to substantially increase over the next decade.
According to the committee, the Government and research councils must ensure that research into nanotechnology is supported and adequately funded.
However, Krebs added that the food industry is too concerned with avoiding controversy on the subject to effectively communicate the benefits of nanotechnology to consumers.
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By GlobalData“The food industry must be more open with the public about research it has undertaken in this area and where it sees nanomaterials being used in food production in the future. The lesson from the public reaction to GM foods is that secrecy breeds mistrust, and that openness and transparency are crucial to maintain public confidence,” he warned.
In its report, Nanotechnologies and Food, the Lords committee called for the Food Standards Agency to establish a public register of foods and packaging that make use of nanotechnology.
Julian Hunt, director of communications for the Food and Drink Federation, said he was “surprised” by the criticism, given that the use of nanotechnology in the food sector was still in its “infancy”.
“Understandably, there are many questions and unknowns about the potential future uses of nanotechnologies in our sector, and there is much work still to be done, by scientists, governments and regulators, as well as the food and drink industry,” he said.
“We support the report’s recommendation for the formation of an open discussion group to bring more transparency that we know is important to consumers, and indeed we are already engaged in such initiatives, both at UK and EU level.”
