THE FUTURE OF FOOD: SCIENCE FICTION OR NATURE? - Foodopoly: The Battle Over the Future of Food and Farming in America - page 165

While staying mostly under the radar, nanotechnology is being used for many purposes related to food,
including the creation of more potent food colorings, flavorings, and nutritional additives; antibacterial in-
gredients for food packaging; and more powerful agrochemicals and fertilizers. 16
Nano particles are submicroscopic and have unique properties that are different from even slightly lar-
ger particles. For instance, an aluminum soda can does not burn, but aluminum nano particles explode
when used as rocket fuel catalysts. Carbon is a soft element, but a nano-scale cylinder made of carbon
atoms is a hundred times stronger than steel. A multibillion-dollar industry has grown up around the cre-
ation of nano-size particles for use in food and food packaging. 17
Nano silver is used as an antibacterial agent in at least 260 consumer products, including food pack-
aging, cutting boards, kitchenware, 18 and fertilizer. 19 It does indeed have antibacterial properties. A peer-
reviewed study found that mutations occurred more frequently in laboratory tests and in live animals when
exposed to silver nanoparticles. The authors of the study called for a review of the long-term biohazard
issues. 20
The use of these technologies for food production is the reverse of sustainable, regionally appropriate
agriculture and food production. It further promotes industrial-scale, chemically intensive farming and an
overabundance of processed foods. It's no accident that the largest and most powerful food companies in
the world are researching and developing nanotechnology-related food products. Campbell's Soup, Cargill,
DuPont, General Mills, Heinz Company, Hershey Foods, Kraft Foods, Mars, Nestlé, PepsiCo, Sara Lee,
Syngenta, Unilever, and United Foods are among the companies that are further industrializing our food
system through the use of nanotechnologies. 21
The federal government is also promoting nanotechnology through a government program called the
National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI), which coordinates the billions of dollars of taxpayer money
going into research and development. The NNI is “aimed at accelerating the discovery, development and
deployment of this technology,” and its budget reflects this. 22
And it seems that their strategy is having some success, if you believe that getting an unregulated and
mostly untested technology to market is an achievement. A recent survey found more than eight hundred
consumer products contained nanotechnology, 23 with as many as twenty new items entering the market
every month. 24 The environmental group Friends of the Earth's recent investigation found one hundred
food and agricultural products containing nanoparticles. 25
For a snapshot of nanotechnology in the food system today, consider the following: at the farm, fertil-
izers and pesticides containing nanoparticles of clay and other materials are touted for their slow-release
mechanisms and potency. 26
Food itself can contain nanoparticles, such as cured meats and sausages, 27 nano tea, 28 and the wide
variety of nutritional supplements containing nanosilver. Research and development is under way to use
nanotechnology in myriad aspects of food processing. 29
In the kitchen, we prepare food using kitchenware and cutting boards that employ antimicrobial nanosil-
ver technology 30 and store food in refrigerators also coated with nanosilver. 31 When we store food in con-
tainers or use wrappings, we can be exposed to the migrating particles used in their manufacturing. 32
Plans for the future include using nanotechnology to produce ice cream, sodas, and chips that are low in
calories and fat. It is being touted as having the ability to “change the color, taste and texture at the press
of a microwave button, and products customized to respond to an individual's health requirements.” 33
While proponents extoll the enormous potential of nanotechnology to quell the world's problems, they
largely ignore the risks to human health and the environment. In comparison to the money researching its
potential, very little money is available to examine the potential unintended consequences. Nevertheless,
the field of nanotoxicity has begun documenting the threats of this unregulated industry, such as: