Specialty Food Ingredients: innovation and nanotechnology

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1 Federat ion of European Specialt y Food Ingredient s Indust ries Specialty Food Ingredients: innovation and nanotechnology Bernd Haber Chair ELC WG on Nanot echnologies Food Drink Europe 5t h Nanot echnology Dialogue 19 Oct. 2012

2 ELC at a glance Our sector More t han 200 EU companies represent ed eit her by direct membership or t hrough a member associat ion 3-8 % of EU specialt y food ingredient s manufact urers t urnover is dedicat ed t o R&D, depending on t he sect ors. Overall t he average invest ment is bet ween 4-5 % of revenue. The specialt y food ingredient s indust ry represent s around 35 billion of t he global food ingredient s market of which 40 % (around 15 billion) is in Europe. ECU INEC

3 ELC at a glance Specialty Food Ingredients Wit h t heir t echnological, nut rit ional and healt h relat ed funct ions, specialt y food ingredient s help t o deliver t ast y, safe, affordable food and food choices, hence t hey are an int egral part of our food supply. To name but a few: vit amins, minerals, enzymes, specific prot eins, fibres, addit ives, specific carbohydrat es, cult ures et c. The st rong innovat ion-driven and science-based posit ion in t he food chain makes specialt y food ingredient s sect or a key cont ribut or t o t he compet it iveness of t he European food indust ry sect or.

4 Innovat ion in Specialt y Food Ingredient s Improving t he nut rit ional charact erist ics of consumer product s is considered as one import ant element in t he st rat egy t o enhancing t he diet and healt h of European consumers. This can be achieved t hrough reformulat ion as well as wit h t he help of new healt hy ingredient s and new food processing t echnologies t hat are not necessarily nanot echnologies.

5 Innovat ion in Specialt y Food Ingredient s (cont d) Are there new specialty food ingredients produced to exhibit specific nano-properties?

6 Innovat ion in Specialt y Food Ingredient s (cont d) Headlines from foodnavigator.com

7 Innovat ion in Specialt y Food Ingredient s (cont d) But is every announced new nano-innovation really novel? I assume, today scientist often use the term nanostructures, where 10 years ago they would have discussed colloidal structures. One can see this change in terms as a fashion in science. In any case, the use of the prefix 'nano' draws attention. Prof. Karin Schwarz, Department of Food Technology, University Kiel

8 Innovat ion in Specialt y Food Ingredient s (cont d) Are there real examples of new specialty food ingredients that should be considered as nanomaterials? It depends on the definition. Natural foods are very often nano-structured, but should not be considered as nanomaterials. Processed foods very often contain nanostructures and nanoparticles but should not be considered as nanomaterials. Not every innovation is substantially new. Often established technologies are used to obtain new product.

9 Innovat ion in Specialt y Food Ingredient s (cont d) Examples from German BUND Nano-database Silicon dioxide (mainly used as carrier in supplements) Packaging materials Silver Gold CoQ10 emulsions Minerals

10 Innovat ion in Specialt y Food Ingredient s (cont d) However an accident in legislative negotiations running in parallel would bring the EU at top innovation in the field of food nanotechnologies if new labelling rules are not related to a narrowed definition for nanomaterials, which takes into account novelty and intentional production in order to exhibit specific nano-properties.

11 Original intent of the labelling obligation: to apply to novel nanofoods Direct relation between the definition provided in NFR (link to novelty) and the nano-labelling laid down in FIR

12 ENM definition Novelty

13 Innovat ion in Specialt y Food Ingredient s (cont d) Emulsions Emulsified colours Vitamin preparations Cream in espresso Sauce hollandaise Mayonnaise Vinaigrette, Homogeneised milk Etc. Emulsions Nano-emulsified colours Nano-vitamin preparations Nano-cream in nano-espresso Nano-sauce hollandaise Nano-mayonnaise Nano-vinaigrette Nano-homogeneised milk Nano-etc.

14 Innovat ion in Specialt y Food Ingredient s (cont d) Milled products Fibers Semolina Flour Bran Wheat germ Coffee Herbs & spices Tea Herbal infusions Fruit puree Tomato paste Etc. Milled products Nano-fibers Nano-semolina Nano-flour Nano-bran Nano-wheat germ Nano-coffee Nano-herbs & nano-spices Nano-tea Nano- herbal infusions Nano-fruit puree Nano-tomato paste Nano-etc.

15 Innovat ion in Specialt y Food Ingredient s (cont d) Homogeneisation Milk Fruit juices Sauces Soy protein based drinks Dairy-based drinks Etc. Homogeneisation Nano-milk Nano-fruit juices Nano-sauces Nano-soy protein based drinks Nano-dairy-based drinks Nano-etc.

16 Innovat ion in Specialt y Food Ingredient s (cont d) Spray-drying, encapsulation Powdered vegetable proteins Powdered dairy proteins Powdered additives Powdered flavours Powdered enzymes Powdered yeasts Powdered vitamins Powdered soups Powdered sauces Powdered coffee Powdered milk Powdered fruit drinks Etc. Spray-drying, encapsulation Nano-powdered vegetable proteins Nano-powdered dairy proteins Nano-powdered additives Nano-powdered flavours Nano-powdered enzymes Nano-powdered yeasts Nano-powdered vitamins Nano-powdered soups Nano-powdered sauces Nano-powdered coffee Nano-powdered milk Nano-powdered fruit drinks Nano-etc.

17 Regulat ory definit ions of nano-mat erials in foods Commission Recommendation 2011/696/EU Future Novel Foods Regulation Food Info Regulation (EU) 1169/2011 (WARNING) LABELLING FROM DEC. 2014??? Availability detection methods (JRC)

18 ELC proposed definit ion of nano-mat erials in foods Nanomaterial means a natural, incidental or a novel manufactured material containing particles, in an unbound state or as an aggregate or as an agglomerate and where, for 50 % or more of the particles in the number size distribution, one or more external dimensions is in the size range 1 nm-100 nm, and which: - is intentionally manufactured by technologies other than the traditional technologies used for food (incl. food ingredients) production and - retains properties that are characteristic of the nanoscale or - deviates from an existing safety assessment of a traditionally produced material with the same chemical identity (e.g. CAS number) [ ] ( c) «aggregate» means a particle comprising of strongly bound or fused particles which might exhibit properties that are characteristic to the nanoscale and from which it is possible to derive nanoparticles under standard conditions of use. + Proposed basis for explanatory guidance

19 What is nano? Naturally occuring in foods? Incidentally produced by conventional food processing? Intentionally produced by conventional food processing? Intentionally produced to exhibit specific nano-properties? It s a nanofull world! They all contain nanoparticles and, in principle, shall be subject to specific and proportionate nanorisk assessment; there is no scientific basis to exclude some of them because e.g. they are natural however part of them would be labelled, others not: pure political choice.

20 Damaging effect s of t he current sit uat ion The current situation has created strong legal uncertainty for well-established, safety-assessed food ingredients that all of a sudden occur the risk to be labelled as nano, depending on the definition that is applied for the purpose of the EU food labelling legislation.

21 The ELC calls for a fair and proportionate approach, i.e. a European regulatory definition that applies to new foods/food ingredients intentionally produced to exhibit specific nano-properties, which will be labelled as such.

22 Federat ion of European Specialt y Food Ingredient s Indust ries Thank you for your at t ent ion elc@ecco-eu.com