From Nano to Manna? Nanotech Food Development Slowed by ‘Regulatory Vacuum’
Imagine using tiny particles with unique properties to make food safer and taste better.
It may be possible, experts said at a conference last weekend, but food companies are hesitating because of a lack of regulations governing nanotechnology, the New Haven Independent reports.
John Floros, head of the Department of Food Sciences at Pennsylvania State University, gave some examples of the possibilities. A new food coating developed from nanotechnology could change color in the presence of pathogens or pesticides, or new flavor enhancers could make the taste of chewing gum last longer, the story reports.
The problem, according to Ann Grimaldi, a partner with McKenna Long & Aldridge who was quoted in the story, is that there is a “regulatory vacuum” on the subject. “Business hates uncertainty,” she said. “I’m certain there are businesses that are holding back.”
Annette McCarthy of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Food and Applied Nutrition acknowledged that the agency hasn’t defined nanotechnology or developed guidelines that mention the word. But the agency is working on it, she said.
