The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), an organization that works to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems, has released a report, “Racing Ahead: U.S. Agri-Nanotechnology in the Absence of Regulation.” The report argues that products containing engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) – of which there are already more than 1,300 on the market, and none that have undergone a pre-market safety assessment – must be regulated and tested prior to commercial release. Recent United States government activity on nanotechnology regulation was taken into account when writing the report, according to IATP. The report specifically addresses food and agriculture applications of nanotechnology, such as the coating of fruits and vegetables to preserve shelf life, and details the possible hazards to human health and the environment if such products are marketed without pre-market safety assessment and post-market surveillance. Steve Suppan, senior policy analyst for IATP, says, “While the guidance from these agencies is an encouraging first step, there is little motivation for companies using agri-nanotechnology to self-regulate. Many nanomaterial applications are classified as confidential business information, and those that are known have had little to no publicly available testing by regulatory authorities for human health, safety or environmental effects. We know from academic studies that ENMs present hazards that merit regulatory review.” Additional applications of ENMs, according to IATP, include making toxins more bio-available in pesticides, targeting nutrients in smaller doses, improving the texture of ice cream, and detecting bacteria in packaged foods. IATP suggests that a nano-specific regulatory structure is necessary, including an agreed-upon definition of what constitutes an engineered nanomaterial, as well as an inventory of which products are already on the market and which are in development. “As nanomaterials in internationally traded goods increases, administrative, technical and budgetary constraints are keeping U.S. and international agencies well behind the pace and variety of product commercialization,” Suppan said, “ Non-regulation and austerity budgets for regulators cannot comply with the White House memo order to protect human health, worker safety and the environment from ENM hazards.”