Andrew Ranallo, the communications associate at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), writes, \u201cThe U.S. food system has a new bedfellow, and it may already be on your plate.\u201d The coatings that keep supermarket produce fresh looking, and the chemicals used in pesticide-intensive farming, he writes, are increasingly incorporating nanotechnology. Ranallo asks: \u201cIs it safe? And, is it really necessary?\u201d Nanotechnology is used in agriculture to increase the plant surface area to which toxic pesticides are effectively applied \u2013 reducing the amount of pesticides needed \u2013 but it could also, says Ranallo, make it more available to the farmworkers that apply it, or to the consumers who eventually handle the produce and eat the fruits and vegetables. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency currently has no regulations to ensure nanotechnology products introduced to the market are safe, although they have taken a first step toward regulation by issuing draft voluntary guidance to industry on reporting nano-pesticide data. Still, \u201cAs the estimated 888 million pounds of pesticides applied annually in the U.S. gradually employ more and more nanotechnology, all under the EPA’s purview, regulators have a lot of catching up to do,\u201d says Ranallo. Additionally, the nanomaterial residues used to coat produce are already reportedly being exported from Latin America to the U.S., without safety assessment of regulation. Ranallo concludes: \u201cIs the use of nanotechnology in food production really necessary? Are the potential risks to health and the environment worth the claimed benefits? Probably not. Strategies already exist for reducing pesticide use in food production, and it’s certainly more affordable for us to avert a food safety crisis than to deal with its aftermath. While the agencies’ first step toward regulation is encouraging, it’s likely not enough to inspire companies to publicly self-regulate, since many of their applications are classified as confidential business information.\u201d<\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/view\/2011\/08\/09-1<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Andrew Ranallo, the communications associate at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), writes, \u201cThe U.S. food system has […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2970","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-technology-update"],"yoast_head":"\n