Secret Food Industry Nanotechnology Adaptation

The UK food industry comes under attack from peers today for being secretive over its development of nanotechnology in food and drink. The Lords science and technology committee is urging the government and research councils to carry out more checks into the use of nanomaterials in food and in particular the dangers for the human body. Nanotechnology involves whittling common materials down to the size of microscopic particles, allowing them to acquire unusual properties. Nanoparticles have been used in cosmetics and sun-cream products. They can help create foods which taste the same as conventional alternatives but have lower fat, salt or sugar levels, or enrich foods with supplements, or even be used in packaging to extend products’ shelf-life. Nanotechnology is also being seen as a successor to genetically modified (GM) techniques. This week Professor John Beddington, the government’s chief scientist, said GM crops and developments such as nanotechnology must be embraced to avoid catastrophic food shortages and future climate change. But today’s warning from eminent scientists including Lord Krebs.

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