Nanotech, healthy snacks and targeted nutrition dominate R&D

US nanotechnology policy experts are urging that food additives that contain nanoscale materials be subject to new safety testing to ensure that their use does not pose unintended risks.

The call comes as nanotechnology emerges as a major regulatory challenge facing the incoming Obama administration. It also takes place amid debate over how to restructure the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and possibly create a separate government food safety agency.

Policy experts at the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN) urge the FDA to issue guidance on how existing listings for food additives and 'generally recognised as safe' (GRAS) substances apply to nanoscale materials. This, say the experts, would help increase consumer confidence and private-sector investment in new technologies.

According to companies that use nanoscale materials in foods, the technology can be used to improve food taste, quality, and safety.

"Failure by FDA to issue any guidance for nano food-additives leaves the door open to manufacturers to make their own judgments and enter the market without FDA clearance, despite having a material with novel properties," says PEN director David Rejeski. "Clear FDA guidance for nanoscale food-additives combined with a pre-market safety evaluation would provide a level playing field and rules of the road for industry developing new applications based on nanoscale materials."

Congress created the GRAS concept to build some flexibility into the oversight system by exempting additives that truly were considered safe from the pre-market approval requirement. FDA and industry have used this authority over the years to avoid the food additive approval process for well-tested substances whose safety is recognised by experts.

"The time may come, when the body of scientific evidence demonstrating the safety of a nanoscale food additive is sufficient to meet the GRAS standard. But the science is not close to meeting that level of confidence now," says Andrew Maynard, chief science advisor for PEN.

The worldwide nanotechnology food market is estimated to grow to over US$20 billion by 2010. An inventory that includes 84 consumer products in the food and beverage sector which are currently available to consumers and which manufacturers claim are nanotechnology, can be found at www.nanotechproject.org/consumerproducts.

New products target healthy diets

Meanwhile, meeting the demands of customers for healthy, low-calorie snacks remains a priority for manufacturers.

For example, research in the USA has shown that nine out of 10 women there crave snacks during the day and nearly half say that the afternoon is their prime snacking time. Because Americans tend to snack on chips or candy during these times, nearly half believe afternoon snacks are a threat to their weight-managements.

Kellogg's has provided a new solution to this with the launch of its Special K Crackers. At 90 calories and 8g of whole grains per 17 crackers, this is the brand's first-ever savoury snack

The new crackers come in two flavours: Italian tomato and herb, and multi-grain (Fig. 1). According to the company, both flavours pack a satisfying crunch, which is what 28 per cent of women said they crave most in an afternoon snack. Both come in eight-ounce packs and 90-calorie packs with six pouches per pack.

"We know from talking with consumers that planning snacks is important to assist in their weight-management goals while they are at work or on the go," says Kellogg's Julie Salmen. "But with a crunchy snack like Special K Crackers, women now have a savoury snack that provides 8g of whole grain and 1g of fibre per 17 crackers to help them stay on track."

Kellogg's is also launching a new breakfast product called Special K Blueberry Cereal. It is a blend of crunchy rice, whole-wheat and blueberry flavoured flakes combined with oat and blueberry clusters.

According to a review published in the Nutrition Bulletin in June 2007, people who eat cereal for breakfast daily maintain a healthier weight. Kellogg points out that a serving its new cereal with skimmed milk, fruit and black coffee is less than 250 calories.

For PepsiCo subsidiary Walkers, the focus is on salt. The company says it will cut salt levels across all its crisps, Baked and Sensations brands by 10 per cent this year.

From June, a standard bag of Walkers crisps will contain less than half a gram of salt on average - about 8 per cent of the recommended daily intake for an adult. With ten million packets of crisps sold each day in the UK, this will remove about 150t/y of salt from diet of people who eat them.

This latest move by Walkers comes on the back of 25 per cent reductions in the salt content of its standard crisps and Lights products, and a 45 per cent reduction in its Sensations brand.

The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) has set a target of reducing the average salt consumption of adults to 6g a day by 2010. The Agency's advice on salt intake for adults and children is underpinned by the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN), is an independent expert committee that advises both the FSA and the UK Department of Health.

In its report Salt and Health, the SACN notes that high levels of salt habitually consumed by the population raise the risk of high blood pressure, which increases the risk of stroke and premature death from cardiovascular diseases. SACN confirmed that the population as a whole would benefit from reducing their intake to 6g per day. SACN also set lower recommended maximum levels of salt intake for babies and children for the first time.

In his preface to the report, chair of SACN Alan Jackson states: "Meeting these targets would be of major benefit to public health. Even a small reduction in salt intake could help to reduce the burden of high blood pressure on our population."

Targeting athletes

Meanwhile Nestlé has announced the launch of a new research programme on the specific nutritional needs of athletes engaged in different kinds of sports. This it says, will further strengthen the company's commitment to promoting sporting integrity through nutrition.

The programme will provide data to help support a more personalised approach to sports nutrition in the future which, in time, should lead to a new generation of personalised sports nutrition products for leading athletes.

The announcement comes in the wake of the 5th International Nutrition Symposium on food and performance held at the Nestlé Research Centre, which explored the importance of nutrition in elite physical performance.

The key findings of the event, which were made public today in the presence of Werner Bauer, Nestlé chief technology officer, and Richard Laube, Nestlé Nutrition chief executive officer, include the fact that a good diet has a much greater potential than previously recognised to improve physical performance.

In his keynote speech, David Hemery, a former Olympic champion and founder of the 21st Century Legacy Project, underlined the importance of athletes achieving elite performances through talent, hard work and determination as role models for youth. He acknowledged that "Nestlé is playing its part, with top quality products, adding nutritional integrity to the health and well-being of young people".

In addition, two elite performers, Gunn-Rita Dahle, eight times world champion mountain biker, and Faris Al-Sultan, five times ironman winner and former ironman world champion, conducted a landmark public debate on the proper use of nutrition during training, performance and recovery, together with Samantha Stear, head of nutrition at the English Institute of Sport.

 

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