Nanotechnologies and Food Safety

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is seeking public consultation on its draft scientific opinion on nanoscience and nanotechnologies and food and feed safety. Nanotechnologies involve the use of substances on a very small scale. This draft opinion focuses on approaches to risk assessment of engineered nano materials (ENM) that could be deliberately introduced into the food chain.

Key conclusions of the draft opinion include:

• Established international approaches to risk assessment currently used for non nano chemicals can also be applied to ENM
• Specific case by case risk assessments should be performed when assessing ENM’s safety, based on specific data from relevant safety tests applicable to the particular application
• Possible risks arise because ENM have particular characteristics, due in part to their small size and high surface area.
• Additional limitations and uncertainties exist, particularly in relation to characterizing, detecting and measuring ENM in food, feed or the body