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

Federat ion of European Specialt y Food Ingredient s Indust ries

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

ELC at a glance – Our sector

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, af fordable 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, specif ic

prot eins, f ibres, addit ives, specif ic 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.

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.

Innovat ion in Specialt y Food Ingredient s (cont ’d)

Are there new specialty food ingredients produced to exhibit

specific nano-propert ies?

Innovat ion in Specialt y Food Ingredient s (cont ’d)

Headlines from foodnavigator.com

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

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.

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

Innovat ion in Specialt y Food Ingredient s (cont ’d)

However an accident in legislat ive

negot iat ions running in parallel would

bring the EU at top innovat ion in the

field of food nanotechnologies if new

labelling rules are not related to a

narrowed definit ion for

nanomaterials, which takes into

account novelty and intent ional

product ion in order to exhibit specific

nano-propert ies.

Original intent of the labelling obligation: to apply to novel nano-

foods

Direct relation between the definition provided in NFR (link to

novelty) and the nano-labelling laid down in FIR

ENM definit ion

Novelty

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.

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.

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.

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.

Regulat ory def init ions of nano-mat erials in foods

Food Info Regulation (EU)

1169/2011

(WARNING) LABELLING

FROM DEC. 2014

Commission Recommendation

2011/696/EU

Future Novel Foods Regulation

Availability

detection

methods (JRC)

? ?

?

ELC proposed def init 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

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 nano-

particles and, in principle,

shall be subject to specific

and proportionate nano-

risk 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.

Damaging ef fect s of t he current sit uat ion

The current situat ion 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 definit ion that is applied for the purpose of the EU food

labelling legislat ion.

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.

Thank you for your at t ent ion

www.elc-eu.org

elc@ecco-eu.com

Federat ion of European Specialt y Food Ingredient s Indust ries