UK asks firms to disclose nanotechnology developments

Filed in archive Regulation on September 29, 2006

UK food manufacturers and others are being asked to provide any information on nanotechnologies they are working on under a program launched this week by the government.

It's hoped voluntary disclosure will help the
UK to assess nanotechnology's risks. According to foodproductiondaily.com, the government review follows a report in May by the country's Food Standards Agency (FSA), which said gaps existed in EU legislation in regulating the future uses of nanotechnology.

The gaps include those relating to particle size, the use of nano versions of already approved ingredients, and to packaging, according to the FSA's legislative review of the food sector.

"There is currently very little information available on the potential risks that these materials may pose to the environment and human health," a spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) stated. "The scheme is designed, together with a program of government research, to address this knowledge deficit."

In launching the voluntary reporting scheme, DEFRA said it wanted to work toward assessing any potential risks posed by the products of nanotechnologies.

Hmmmm, you want me to disclose my firm's nanotech developments so you can determine the risks and possibly regulate me out of business? In principle, nanotech firms should be open about the risks of their products, but I'm skeptical that they're going to leap at the chance to volunteer information that could hurt their business.