Nano-in-Food ~ Threat or Opportunity for Organic Food? John Paull, Australian National University john.paull@mail.com Kristin Lyons, Griffith University IFOAM Organic World Congress, 16-20 July, 2008 1
Nano-in-Food: Threat or Opportunity for Organic Food - Workshop by John Paull
Nov 21, 2014
IFOAM Nanotechnology Workshop at Modena, Italy:
Nanotechnology is creating engineered particles in the size range 1 to 100 nanometers. At the nano-scale, materials exhibit novel behaviours. Nine billion dollars is currently invested annually in nano-research, with the explicit intention of rapid commercialisation, including food and agriculture applications. Nanotechnology is currently unregulated, and nano-products are not required to be labelled. Health, safety and ecological aspects are poorly understood, and there have been calls for a moratorium. Two consumer surveys indicate that public awareness of nanotechnology is low, there is concern that the risks exceed the benefits, that food safety is declining along with declining confidence in regulatory authorities. A majority of respondents (65%) are concerned about side effects, and that nano-products should be labelled (71%), and only 7% reported they would purchase nano-food. There is an opportunity, for the organic community to take the initiative to develop standards to exclude engineered nanoparticles from organic products. Such a step will service both the organic community and the otherwise nano-averse consumers - just as GMOs have been excluded previously.
Nanotechnology is creating engineered particles in the size range 1 to 100 nanometers. At the nano-scale, materials exhibit novel behaviours. Nine billion dollars is currently invested annually in nano-research, with the explicit intention of rapid commercialisation, including food and agriculture applications. Nanotechnology is currently unregulated, and nano-products are not required to be labelled. Health, safety and ecological aspects are poorly understood, and there have been calls for a moratorium. Two consumer surveys indicate that public awareness of nanotechnology is low, there is concern that the risks exceed the benefits, that food safety is declining along with declining confidence in regulatory authorities. A majority of respondents (65%) are concerned about side effects, and that nano-products should be labelled (71%), and only 7% reported they would purchase nano-food. There is an opportunity, for the organic community to take the initiative to develop standards to exclude engineered nanoparticles from organic products. Such a step will service both the organic community and the otherwise nano-averse consumers - just as GMOs have been excluded previously.
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Nano-in-Food ~
Threat or Opportunity for Organic Food?
John Paull, Australian National [email protected]
Kristin Lyons, Griffith University
IFOAM Organic World Congress, 16-20 July, 2008
1
What is Nanotechnology?
1-100 nanometresnanometre = 1 billionth of a metre
“the precision-engineering of materials at the scale of 10-9 (one ten thousandth the breadth of a human hair), at which point, new functionalities are obtained, resulting in products, devices and processes that will transform various industries” (AON, 2007)
2
Eric Drexler1990
“an enormously original book about the consequences of new technologies”
Minsky, p.v, intro
“... are we too wicked to do the right thing... too stupid to do the right thing... too lazy to prepare”
Drexler, p.200
3
Image source: Smalley Institute, Rice University, 2006, cnst.rice.edu/nano.cfm
4
Image credit: Courtesy LUNA Innovations
“Medical Buckyballs. Computer model of a molecule made by LUNA Innovations of Blacksburg, Va. The company plans to produce novel "buckyball" materials for medical diagnostics and other military and commercial applications. The technology was developed in part with a 2001 award from NIST's Advanced Technology Program (ATP). The ATP grant helped to accelerate the development process for new nanomaterials for medical imaging and drug delivery.
http://www.nist.gov/public_affairs/05nano_image_gallery.htm
5
6
www.zyvex.com/ nanotech/nano4.html Logo image: Fourth
Foresight Conference on Molecular
Nanotechnology, 1995
7
Why Nano?
•New properties
•Surface area:
particle size ↓ x 1000
surface area ↑ x 1000
•Doctrine of Substantial Equivalence*
claim difference > get patents
claim sameness > avoid regulation
* Paull, 2008, M/C J of Media & Culture, 11(2)8
US$0 B
US$1 B
US$2 B
US$3 B
US$4 B
US$5 B
1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Government Nano R&D
Multi billion $ Research Effort
Data source: Roco, 20079
International Research Effort
Data source: Roco, 200710
050
100150200250300350400
Children
Applian
ces
Automoti
ve
Coatin
gs
Electro
nics
Food&
Bevera
ge
Home&
Garden
Health
&Fitnes
s
Num
ber o
f Pro
duct
s
Data source: WWICS, 2007
Nano-Products (N = 580)
11
Data source: WWICS, 2007
Food & Beverage Nano-Products (N = 66)
12
Source: ETC, 2007
Hazard Labelling?
13
0%5%
10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%
Nothing Little Some Lot Don’t Know
Perc
enta
ge o
f Res
pond
ents
Data source: HRA, 2007, N=1014
US Consumer Knowledge of Nanotechnology
14
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
More Ben
efits
Risks =
Benefi
ts
More Risk
s
Don’t K
now
Perc
enta
ge o
f Res
pond
ents
Data source: HRA, 2007, N=1014
US Consumer Perceptions of Risks & Benefits
15
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Much l
ess s
afe
Somew
hat le
ss sa
fe
Uncha
nged
Somew
hat m
ore sa
fe
Much m
ore sa
fe
Don’t k
now
Perc
enta
ge o
f Res
pond
ents
Data source: HRA, 2007, N=1014
Consumer Perception of the Direction of Food Safety over the past 5 years
16
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
FDA EPA USDA
Perc
enta
ge C
onfid
ence
Regulatory Authority
Confidence, PriorConfidence, 2007
Data source: HRA, 2007, N=1014
Consumer Confidence in Regulatory Authorities over the past 5 yrs
17
0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%
Would
not p
urcha
se
Need m
ore in
fo
Would
Purcha
se
Perc
enta
ge o
f Res
pond
ents
Data source: HRA, 2007, N=1014
Consumer’s Willingness to Purchase Food “enhanced with nanotechnology”
18
Sources of Nano in Food
Examples
Adventitious Nano-pollution from: airborne, rain-borne, water-borne nanoparticle-drift from off-farm and/or off-site.
Incidental Nano-pollution from: nanonized packaging; surface coatings - in packaging, sorting, storage, sales areas; utensils; packaging equipment; transport equipment; filtration equipment.
Intentional Nano-pollution from: nanonized production inputs; food processing additives; foliar or systemic sprays.
Nano-in-Food?
Table source: Paull & Lyons, JOS, 3(1) 200819
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
AgreeStrongly Agree Disagree DisagreeStrongly Don’tKnow
Perc
enta
ge o
f Res
pond
ents
Labelling required of nanoproductsConcerned about side-effects
Aus Consumer Responses: Labelling & Side-Effects?
Source: Paull & Lyons, 2008; data source: MARS, 2007, N=1000 20
Cryptic food technologies
Synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, irradiation, GMOs...
Leads to Asymmetric Knowledge: invisible & undetectable for consumer
Nanoparticles... the latest cryptic food technology
21
Threat?
•“Certified Organic”
•Explicit exclusion of synthetic pesticides, fertilisers, of GMOs & of irradiation
•Implied Social Contract & consumer expectation: food free of cryptic technologies
•Nano-in-Organic > disenchanted Organic consumers
22
Opportunity?
Opportunity:
Organic = No Nano
True to the spirit of Organics
True to the Organic “CHEF” Principles (Care, Health, Environment & Fairness)
Potentially broadens the appeal of Organics...
... grants a choice to those consumers who wish to avoid Nano-in food
23
Moratorium
Soil Association
The leading UK Organic certifier announced a nano-ban, the first Organic certifier to do so(17 Jan, 2008)
24
Conclusions
Organic Standards to specifically exclude engineered
Nanoparticles:•production•processing•packaging
adopt precautions against...•intentional•adventitious •incidental
25
Threat (of inaction):Organics loses face, breaches its social contract with consumers & Organics is contaminated with nanoparticles
Opportunity (to act):Put a Nano-exclusion in place,this keeps faith with the existing clientele & can attract a new clientele of nano-avoiders
26
Conclusions/Recommendations
1.IFOAM follows the Soil Association’s example & adds a nano-exclusion to the basic organic standard
2.If that is not quickly forthcoming, then regional standards or individual certifiers act pre-emptively and adopt their own nano-exclusions
27
Paull & Lyons, 2008,
“Nanotechnology: The Next
Challenge for Organics”
Journal of Organic Systems
3 (1) 3-22
28
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