| Posted: June 9, 2009 |
FDA claims it can handle nanotechnology safety |
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(Nanowerk News) An article in Food Production Daily cites Dr Annette McCarthy of the FDA as saying that The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) already has sufficient authority to assess the safety of nanotechnology - but its regulation is not all to do with size.
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Speaking at the IFT International Food Nanoscience Conference in Anaheim on Saturday, Dr McCarthy said: “We believe that the regulatory authority is sufficient to address nanotechnology but there are further questions we need to address.”
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For food manufacturers looking to use nanotechnology, those questions include whether the manufacturing change impacts the identity of a component and whether the change could have any impact on safety.
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McCarthy, of the office of food additive safety at the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said: “It’s industry’s responsibility to make sure a product is safe and part of that is making sure that product is regulated.”
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In order to assist manufacturers to ensure product safety, the FDA is in the process of developing a guidance document for nanotechnology, which will become available before the end of 2010.
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In the meantime, McCarthy said that nanotechnology is not as simple as just making an ingredient smaller; manufacturers looking to petition the FDA for acceptance of a nanotech food additive or coloring’s safety should examine its “impact on identity and toxicity”.
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