A food safety strategist for "As You Sow" recently indicated that the group is conducting a survey "of a wide selection of food manufacturers and retailers regarding their use of nanomaterials in food products." The group is also creating a "Nanofood Sourcing Framework" designed to guide food-related companies on the issues they should be considering before using engineered nanoscale materials in their products.
Interestingly, the strategist asked some major food-related corporations about their use of engineered nanoscale materials and believes that companies are "taking a precautionary approach." Evidently, McDonald’s, Pepsi, and Kraft all claim to be "nano-free." McDonald’s has an interesting post about the issue on its website:
McDonald’s Corporation is working to understand the use of nanotechnology and its applications in food and packaging products. Given the current uncertainty related to potential impacts of nano-engineered materials, McDonald’s does not currently support the use by supplies of nano-engineered materials in the production of any of our food, packaging or toys.
Regarding Kraft, the strategist wrote that Kraft "first posted a statement on their website in 2009 announcing that they are not using nanotechnology, although they did admit to be exploring nano applications for packaging. Two year later, Food Production Daily reports that ‘Kraft is one company to have taken a deliberate step away from the emerging technology.’"
