Today, representatives of the scientific community, the church, industry, environmental associations, government and public authorities came together at a meeting organised by the Federal Environment Ministry to discuss the opportunities and risks of using nanotechnology in the food industry. The objective is to discuss issues relating to the impacts that nanomaterials in products in the food industry would have on the environment and health. The expert dialogue "Food industry - Use of nanomaterials in products" is the last of four events organised by the Federal Environment Ministry for phase 4 of the Federal Government's NanoDialog.
State Secretary Jochen Flasbarth commented "This stakeholder dialogue, which has been ongoing for almost ten years, is something unique in Europe. It is an integral part of the exchange among civil groups on the opportunities and risks attached to the responsible and sustainable handling of nanomaterials. This is why we are going to continue this process in a fifth series of dialogues in 2016-2017."
On the basis of applications and analyses of nanotechnologies to date, the discussion focues on the use of nanomaterials in the open environment in food, food additives, dietary supplements and in food contact materials. The analytics and measurement methods will also be discussed at the expert dialogue. This dialogue not only provides information on current development but also facilitates an exchange on the potential opportunities and risks associated with using nanomaterials in this field of application.
The NanoDialogue of the Federal Government was established under the German Nano Action Plan as a central national platform for dialogue in 2006, with the Federal Environment Ministry taking lead responsibility.