FDA outlines rules for nanotechnology in food

[April 21, 2012]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Regulators are proposing that food companies that want to use tiny engineered particles in their packaging will have to provide extra testing data to show the products are safe.

The Food and Drug Administration issued tentative guidelines Friday for food and cosmetic companies interested in using nanoparticles, which are measured in billionths of a meter.

The submicroscopic particles are increasingly showing up in FDA-regulated products like sunscreens, skin lotions and glare-reducing eyeglass coatings.

The draft guidance suggests the FDA will require food companies to prove the safety of any packaging using nanotechnology.

Under longstanding FDA regulations, companies aren't required to seek regulatory approval before launching products containing established ingredients and materials. But FDA says companies using nanoparticles should plan to submit data to the government before launching them.

[Associated Press]

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