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Nano-Foods: You May Already Be Eating Some

Posted on: Thursday, 31 July 2008, 08:25 CDT

Consumers currently worried about cloned food may also soon be worrying about nano-foods.

According to consumer advocates at a food safety conference in Orlando, Florida, food produced by nano-technology is slowly entering the market, and consumer advocates want the U.S. government to require that manufacturers identify them.

Companies using the nanotechnology, which involves the manipulation of materials on the molecular scale, say it can enhance the nutritional effectiveness and flavor of food.

Currently, U.S. health officials do not place warnings on products unless they believe there are clear reasons for concern.  But consumer advocates believe uncertainty over health consequences is enough.

"I think nanotechnology is the new genetic engineering. People just don't know what's going on, and it's moving so fast," says Jane Kolodinsky, a consumer economist at the University of Vermont.

European consumers are generally not as complacent about genetically altered food as American consumers.

According to Michael Hansen, a scientist with the Consumers Union, 69 percent of Americans are concerned with eating cloned meat.

Parents involved with focus groups run by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration refused to feed their children cloned meat.

In a recent study conducted by CBS/New York Times, 53 percent of Americans stated they would not buy genetically altered food products.

Hansen said there is little awareness in the public sector about foods created through nanotechnology.

According to The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN), new products made with nanotechnology are now appearing on the market at the rate of 3 to 4 a week. The number is based on the 609 known nano-products currently available.

Many common nano-products include bicycles, tennis rackets, and sunscreens that contain nonwhite versions of titanium dioxide and zinc oxide. Other nano-products also include many “antibacterial” products that contain silver ions such as salad spinners, food containers, washing machines, and socks.

PEN has three foods on it’s list: Canola Active Oil, Nanotea, and Nanoceuticals Slim Shake chocolate drink.

According to PEN’s website, the canola oil product from Shemen Industries of Israel contains “nanodrops,” an additive designed to carry minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals through the digestive tract.

U.S. manufacturer RBC Life Sciences Inc., says it uses cocoa infused “nanoclusters” to enhance the health benefits, and flavor of cocoa eliminating the need to use extra sugar.

According to Shenzhen Become Industry & Trade Co., Ltd. of China, their Nanotea is created with nanotechnology to "release effectively all of the excellent essences of the tea,” and to increase "the selenium supplement function” 10-fold.

Currently, there isn’t a requirement for nano-products to be identified, says Hansen, whose organization publishes Consumer Reports magazine.

Hansen has also called for stronger regulations to force manufacturers to label nano-foods.

"Just because something is safe at the macro level, doesn't mean it's safe at the nano size," Hansen said. "All scientists agree that size matters."

According to Hansen, recent studies show that nano particles can overrun cells and infringe on the blood-brain barrier in some cases, and that some types of nano-sized carbon could be as dangerous as asbestos if inhaled in large quantities.

"This represents science at the cutting edge. These technologies raise basic scientific issues," Hansen added.

Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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