Relevance for Food Safety of Applications of Nanotechnology in the Food and Feed Industry
Document Type Article
Food safety authority of Ireland (FSAI) 2008.
Abstract
The application of nanotechnology in the food and feed industry offers many potential benefits for both consumers and manufacturers.The ultrafine dimensions of nanoparticles, and consequently their very large surface area, enable them to function more effectively than conventional macro-scale structures in many applications. Nanotechnology is however a relatively new area of science and the benefits and risks associated with its use in the food and feed industry are not fully understood at this time.This brings with it new challenges in ensuring the safety of food and feed that has been produced with the aid of nanotechnology. This report provides an overview of current and potential applications of nanotechnology in the food industry, which may equally be applied in the feed industry. The possible risks of nanotechnology, together with the adequacy of the existing EU regulatory framework in the control of any potential risks, are also examined with a view to determining what further legislative measures, if any, may be necessary to safeguard food safety