Agriculture and Food
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news/archive
June 18, 2014
A Statement about the PEN Consumer Products Inventory and Titanium Dioxide
There has been much confusion and misinformation in recent weeks about our Consumer Products Inventory (CPI). Much of this confusion was sparked by a recent report from Friends of the Earth (FOE) on nanoscale materials in food, as well as news articles from Mother Jones and other outlets focused in on the use of nanoscale titanium dioxide in food products.
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news/archive
April 20, 2012
FDA Releases Food, Cosmetic Nanotechnology Guidances for Public Comment
The Food & Drug Administration has released two new guidance documents for public comment outlining agency policy for the use of nanotechnology in food ingredients and packaging and the use of nanotechnology in cosmetic products.
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news/archive
April 21, 2011
New Report Finds Public Perception of Nanotechnology Not Negative
Today the Food Standards Authority issued a report on consumer attitudes to the use of nanotechnology in Food, drinks and other related products such as processing and packaging. The results, based on focus group studies, suggest that the public perception of nanotechnology in food is not negative, and is based on weighing up the benefits with risks.
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news/archive
March 26, 2010
Special Report on nanotechnology from AOL News
AOL News published a three part series on nanotechnology. “Nanotechnology has long been hyped for its potential to cure diseases, ease energy problems, supercharge our computers and more. But increasing evidence shows that the engineered particles could pose a giant risk to the environment and human life.”
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news/archive
January 7, 2010
A call for more transparency and research funding for nanotechnology in the food industry
The UK House of Lords Science and Technology Committee today released its first report of session 2009-10 “Nanotechnologies and Food” where they criticized the food industry for “failing to be transparent about its research into the uses of nanotechnologies and nanomaterials.”
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news/archive
January 28, 2009
World’s First Mandatory National Nanotech Requirement Pending
Canada is reportedly planning in February to become the first nation in the world to require companies to detail their use of engineered nanomaterials. The information gathered under the requirement will be used to evaluate the risks of engineered nanomaterials and will help to develop appropriate safety measures to protect human health and the environment.
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news/archive
January 14, 2009
Getting Your Daily Dose of Nano?
The ability of the FDA to regulate the safety of dietary supplements using nanomaterials is severely limited by lack of information, lack of resources and the agency’s lack of statutory authority in certain critical areas, according to: A Hard Pill To Swallow: Barriers to Effective FDA Regulation of Nanotechnology-Based Dietary Supplements, a new report by former FDA officials William B. Schultz and Lisa Barclay.
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news/archive
December 18, 2008
Experts Argue Nano Food-Additives Require New Oversight
Nanotechnology policy experts are urging that food additives containing nanoscale materials be subject to new safety testing to ensure that their use does not pose unintended risks. The call comes as nanotechnology emerges as a major regulatory challenge facing the incoming Obama administration.
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news/archive
October 14, 2008
The Frontiers of Nanotechnology
The future of how the world communicates, and how we power our lives, will likely come from the same source: nanotechnology. According to the latest NanoFrontiers newsletter and Trips to the Nanofrontier podcast, nanotechnology will be central to developing and using new electronics and energy technologies in the 21st Century.
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news/archive
September 9, 2008
Nanoscale Silver: No Silver Lining?
Widespread use of nanoscale silver will challenge regulatory agencies to balance important potential benefits against the possibility of significant environmental risk, highlighting the need to identify research priorities concerning this emerging technology, according to a new report by Dr. Samuel Luoma. Existing information about the impact of silver on the environment offers a starting point for some assessments of nanosilver, the report argues.
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news/archive
September 8, 2008
Nanotechnology and the FDA: Size Matters!
In July 2007 the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued its Nanotechnology Task Force Report. This report acknowledged that nanoscale materials potentially could be used in most product types regulated by the agency and that those materials present challenges complicated by the fact that properties relevant to product safety and effectiveness may change as size varies within the nanoscale.
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news/archive
July 23, 2008
Nanotech: A Regulatory Blueprint for the Next Administration
Nanotechnology will significantly change virtually every facet of the way we live. The next president has the opportunity to shape these changes and to ensure that nanotechnology’s benefits will be maximized and its risks identified and controlled. A new report by former EPA official J. Clarence (Terry) Davies lays out a clear roadmap for the next presidential administration and describes the immediate and longer term steps necessary to deal with the current shortcomings of nanotechnology oversight.
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news/archive
June 25, 2008
Use of Nanomaterials in Food Packaging Poses Regulatory Challenges
Engineered nanoscale materials (ENMs), which contain novel properties that offer potential benefits for use in food packaging, raise new safety evaluation challenges for regulators and industry, according to a report released today by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA).
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news/archive
April 24, 2008
New Nanotech Products Hitting the Market at the Rate of 3-4 Per Week
New nanotechnology consumer products are coming on the market at the rate of three to four per week, a finding based on the latest update to the nanotechnology consumer product inventory maintained by the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN). The number of consumer products using nanotechnology has grown from 212 to 609 since PEN launched the world’s first online inventory of manufacturer-identified nanotech goods in March 2006.
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news/archive
February 11, 2008
Know Your Nano? Free iPods To Those With High “Nano IQ”!
Five free iPod Nanos are up for grabs! To celebrate the launch of our redesigned website, the Project is sponsoring a “Nano-IQ” contest. Winners will be randomly selected from those who successfully complete the five-question quiz. - UPDATE: Winners Announced!