FDA Guidelines Address Safety of Nanotechnology in Food, Cosmetics
This guidance covers “any manufacturing process change that might affect a food substance’s identity, intended uses, or the way it behaves in the body after it is eaten,” says Dennis Keefe, Ph.D., director of the Office of Food Additive Safety.
Two draft guidance documents that address the use of nanotechnology by the food and cosmetics industries were issued recently by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Nanotechnology is an evolving technology that allows scientists to create, explore, and manipulate materials on a scale measured in nanometers— particles so small that they cannot be seen with a regular microscope. The technology has a broad range of potential applications, such as the packaging of food or altering the look and feel of cosmetics.
The two draft guidance documents are “Guidance for Industry: Assessing the Effects of Significant Manufacturing Process Changes, including Emerging Technologies, on the Safety and Regulatory Status of Food Ingredients and Food Contact Substances, Including Food Ingredients that are Color Additives” and “Guidance for Industry: Safety of Nanomaterials in Cosmetic Products.”
The food draft guidance describes the factors manufacturers should consider when determining whether changes in manufacturing processes, including those involving nanotechnology, create a significant change that may:
- affect the identity of the food substance;
- affect the safety of the use of the food substance;
- affect the regulatory status of the use of the food substance; or
- warrant a regulatory submission to FDA.
This guidance covers “any manufacturing process change that might affect a food substance’s identity, intended uses, or the way it behaves in the body after it is eaten,” says Dennis Keefe, Ph.D., director of the Office of Food Additive Safety.
Keefe added that nanotechnology is being studied in food packaging to combat bacteria and detect spoilage and to improve the bioavailability (the degree and rate at which a substance is absorbed into one’s system) of nutrients, among other applications.
The cosmetic product draft guidance discusses FDA’s current thinking on the safety assessment of nanomaterials when used in cosmetic products. Key points include:
- The legal requirements for cosmetics manufactured using nanomaterials are the same as those for any other cosmetics. While cosmetics are not subject to premarket approval, companies and individuals who market cosmetics are legally responsible for the safety of their products, and they must be properly labeled.
- To conduct safety assessments for cosmetic products containing nanomaterials, standard safety tests may need to be modified or new methods developed.
Both guidance documents encourage manufacturers to consult with the agency before taking their products to market. Such consultation can help FDA experts address questions related to the safety or other attributes of nanotechnology products or answer questions about their regulatory status.
“Understanding nanotechnology remains a top FDA priority. FDA is strengthening the scientific tools and methods for evaluating food products, cosmetics, drugs, and medical devices,” said FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D. “We are taking a prudent scientific approach to assess each product on its own merits and to not make broad, general assumptions about the safety of nanotechnology products.”
For more information, go to http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm301125.htm.