Nanotechnology in Food and Agriculture

Implications from Regulatory Development of Genetically Modified Crops

Abstract

　Nanotechnology in food and agriculture tends to be paid less attention in Japan. However, nanotechnology applications in these areas have profound implications to envision future development of nanotechnology per se because of the following two reasons. One is their strong links with life science that is viewed as one of the most promising fields of future nanotech market. The other reason is that these areas would pose various issues directly comparable with those related to genetically modified crops （GMOs）. The regulatory development coping with these issues would give significant impact of the future trajectory of nanotechnology per se and its public acceptance, or even international disputes as the case of the GMOs.

　Nanotechnology in food and agriculture includes various applications such as precision farming, smart delivery system, packaging, food processing and so on. It is still premature to predict future impacts on food system. However, it would be expected that more efficient and coordinated food system would be engineered by nanotechnology.

　The regulatory developments in the US and EU are also still premature to envision future direction of policies of this field. However, as in the case of regulatory approach of GMOs, it is highly plausible to see differentiated positions across Atlantic based on our preliminary observations.