Tag: nanotechnology
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Report Questions International Standards for Nanoscale Materials in Food Packaging
The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) recently issued a report questioning the ability of international governing bodies to adequately address the use of engineered nanoscale materials (ENMs) in food contact and packaging materials. Noting that the Codex Alimentarius Commission, operating under the auspices of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World…
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Environment Action Program to Address Nanomaterials and Endocrine Disruptors
The European Parliament recently adopted a resolution setting priorities for the Seventh Environmental Action Program (7EAP) and urging the Commission to present a 7EAP proposal “without delay.” Set to expire July 22, 2012, the Sixth EAP (6EAP) aimed to provide “an overarching framework for environment policy” and substantially consolidated environmental regulations, although it failed to…
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CRS Releases Policy Primer on Nanotechnology
Noting that higher crop yields and improved nutrition could be achieved with the application of nanotechnology, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) has issued its most recent report addressing topics that may affect the country’s ability to move nanotech from research laboratories to commercial products. Those topics include federal research and development investments under the National…
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FDA Issues Draft Food Guidance with Information on Nanotechnology Applications
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued draft guidance that, in part, addresses the use of nanotechnology in food processing. Among other matters, “FDA considers food manufacturing processes that involve nanotechnology in the same manner as any other food manufacturing technology,” although the agency also apparently recognizes that “nanotechnology and other emerging technologies may…
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Researchers Present Rapid Salmonella Test at ACS Meeting
Researchers from Jackson State University in Mississippi have reportedly developed a rapid test for detecting Salmonella on food that uses popcorn-shaped gold nanoparticles. Presented March 27, 2012, at the 243rd National Meeting and Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the application relies on antibodies attached to gold nanoparticles that then transfer to Salmonella bacteria if…
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Study Outlines Challenges for Nanotechnology Use in Foods and Agriculture
A recent Food Policy article titled “Implications of nanotechnology growth in food and agriculture in OECD countries” describes how nanomaterials and ingredients are currently being used in foods, food packaging and agriculture in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries and outlines potential challenges that could affect the industry’s growth, health and safety issues…
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FDA Regulation of Nanotechnology (ABA 2012)
Part II of the American Bar Association’s (ABA’s) Nanotechnology Project, this recently released book comprehensively considers, by product category, how the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviews nanotechnology-based products. Shook, Hardy & Bacon Agribusiness & Food Safety Attorney James Andreasen was among those practitioners contributing to the work. Among the chapters are “Color Additives,” “Food…
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Joint U.S., Canada Initiative to Develop Coordinated Nanotechnology Rules
According to a news source, the United States and Canada have begun to develop a coordinated model framework to regulate nanomaterials. A draft plan, unveiled during a January 2012 meeting of the U.S.-Canada Regulatory Cooperation Council involving officials with the U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Environment Canada, identifies the following as the…