The National Health Security Agency has noted the presence of industrial nanoparticles, used to improve manufactured foods in nearly 900 food products.
- Nanoparticles are used as an additive, to improve the appearance of the product but also to improve packaging safety or for nutritional reasons.
- Infant milk is the food most affected by these substances since it concentrates 25.6% of nanoparticles, followed by confectionery (15.6%), breakfast cereals (14.8%).
- The next step for ANSES will be to study the health risks posed by these nanoparticles.
Tuesday June 9, the National Health Security Agency (ANSES) gave an opinion in which it identifies the main uses of manufactured nanomaterials in the food sector. She has “referenced 37 substances, used as additives or food ingredients and for which it considers that the presence of nanoparticles is proven or suspected”, she wrote in her review. A first step beforestudy the health risks that these substances could represent for consumers”, says the agency.
Infant milk, confectionery and breakfast cereals form the podium
The interest of adding nanomaterials to food is multiple. These nanomaterials are used as additives, “to improve the appearance and palatability of the food product” but also “as materials in contact with food, for their functions of improving the safety of packaging”. Their last contribution is nutritious, to supplement certain products such as the calcium carbonate used in infant milks to achieve a sufficient calcium content. In total, nearly 900 food products incorporate at least one additive or ingredient that meets the “substances for which the presence of manufactured nanomaterials is proven.”
Infant milk is the food most affected by these substances since it concentrates 25.6% of nanoparticles, followed by confectionery (15.6%), breakfast cereals (14.8%), cereal bars (12.9%), pastries and frozen desserts (10.9%). The declaration of substances in the nanoparticle state has been mandatory since 2013 thanks to the R-Nano register which is managed by ANSES. This provides that manufacturers, importers and distributors of more than 100 grams of substances in the nanoparticle state per year, report the identity of the substances, the quantities handled as well as the intended uses.
Next step: assessing the health risks
Despite these obligations, the reality is a little different and not all nanoparticles are registered. “Despite these obligations, the identification and traceability of nanomaterials in the field of food are still today limited.”, notes the health agency. However, it is “an essential step in the assessment of health risks” which is the next step for ANSES. While waiting to know the risks that these nanoparticles pose, the Agency advises to “limit consumer exposure” to nanomaterials in food by avoiding “superfluous uses” and “by favoring products that are safe, devoid of nanomaterials, and equivalent in terms of function and effectiveness.”
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