Nanotechnology and food safety
Nanotechnology offers considerable opportunities for the development of innovative products and applications in the food and agriculture sectors, and governments, industry and science communities are investing significantly in its application to food production. However, owing to limited knowledge of the effects of these applications on human health, stakeholders recognize the need for careful consideration of the food safety implications of the technology.
Science and technology at the nanoscale promise to be among the most innovative fields in the coming decades. Nanotechnologies make it possible to control and modify materials and systems at the nanoscale level to obtain significantly altered characteristics from those present at larger scales.
Several emerging nanotechnologies seem to have the potential to provide significant benefits in various fields, including the food, water and agriculture sectors. New and emerging applications, such as water purification systems, rapid pathogen and chemical contaminant detection systems, and nano enabled renewable energy technologies applied along the food chain are expected to provide developing countries with new tools to address some of the challenges to sustainable agricultural and irrigation development and to food safety and security.
Research and development on nanotechnologies has been growing worldwide in both the public and private sectors and within developed as well as emerging countries. However, it is important to ensure adequate, upfront attention to some important issues that nanotechnologies pose to the global community.
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Publications
FAO and WHO have published several technical papers and convened meetings and international conferences on nanotechnologies in the food, water and agriculture sectors. Topics covered include applications of nanotechnologies, risk assessment and risk management of nanotechnologies, and potential food safety implications.
Many countries have identified the potential of nanotechnology in the food and agriculture sectors and some are investing in its applications. However, owing to our limited knowledge of the effects of these applications on human health, many recognize the need for early consideration of the food safety implications of the technology.
In response to this concern, in 2009 FAO and WHO convened an expert meeting to identify further work that could be required to address the issue at the global level. The publication, FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on the applications of nanotechnologies in the food and agriculture sectors: potential food safety implications (FAO and WHO, 2010), summarizes the results of the expert meeting.
Following up on one of the recommendations of the 2009 FAO/WHO expert meeting, the report State of the art on the initiatives and activities relevant to risk assessment and risk management of nanotechnologies in the food and agriculture sectors (FAO and WHO, 2013) reviews national and international activities in the risk analysis of nanomaterials in the food and agriculture sectors that have been carried out since the 2009 meeting.
The publication presents national and international risk assessment and risk management approaches that identify and implement strategies to address potential hazards associated with the use of nanotechnology related products or techniques.
State of the art on the initiatives and activities relevant to risk assessment and risk management of nanotechnologies in the food and agriculture sectors
2013
An international expert meeting on the potential food safety implications of the application of nanotechnologies in the food and agriculture sectors...
Meeting Report of the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on Nanotechnologies in Food and Agriculture. FAO Rome, 27 March 2012
2012
A number of emerging forms of nanotechnology potentially could provide significant benefits in various sectors, including food, water and agriculture....
Report of Technical Round Table Sessions of the International Conference on Food and Agriculture Applications of Nanotechnologies (NANOAGRI 2010). June 20-25 2010 - Sao Pedro, SP, Brazil
2010
A number of emerging nanotechnologies could potentially provide significant benefits in various sectors, including food, water and agriculture.
FAO/WHO Expert Meeting on the Application of Nanotechnologies in the Food and Agriculture Sectors: Potential Food Safety Implications
2010
Governments, industry and science have identified the potential of nanotechnology in the food and agriculture sectors and are investing significantly...