Report
Note: Workshop Summaries contain the opinion of the presenters, but do NOT reflect the conclusions of the IOM. Learn more about the differences between Workshop Summaries and Consensus Reports.
Nanotechnology—an emerging technology that enables researchers to manipulate matter at the atomic level—is providing scientists with the ability to enhance food safety and make foods more nutritious and satisfying by enhancing their nutrition content and other characteristics. However, researchers still have much to learn about the result of using nanotechnology to create food packaging or to modify a food, including both benefits and unanticipated adverse effects.
On December 10, 2008, the Institute of Medicine held a one-day workshop to explore the use of nanotechnology in food products. Ten world-renowned authorities on food nanotechnology gave presentations, after which participants discussed three primary topics:
- The application of nanotechnology to food products
- The safety and efficacy of nanomaterials used with or in food products
- The education of consumers about the applications of nanotechnology to food products
- These presentations and discussions are summarized in the IOM’s Nanotechnology in Food Products.
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