The House of Lords Science and Technology Committee has criticised the food industry for being secretive about its use of nanotechnology.

英国上议院技术委员会批评食品行业对于纳米技术使用的保密行为。

Nanotechnology is appearing in an ever-wider range of products

Lord Krebs, chairman of the inquiry调查，质询, said the industry "wants to keep a low profile保持低调" to avoid controversy².

While there were no clear dangers, he said, there are "gaps in knowledge".

In its report Nanotechnologies and Food, the committee suggest a public register of foods or packaging that make use of nanotechnology.

Nanotechnology is the use of very small particles - measured in the billionths of a metre. At these sizes, particles have novel新奇的，异常的 properties性能，内容 and there is active investigation³ into how those properties arise.

While nanotechnology is already widely employed - in applications ranging from odour气味，声誉-free socks to novel cancer therapeutic⁴ methods - they have long been regarded as a subject requiring further study to ensure their safety.

In the food sector⁵, nanotechnology can be employed to enhance flavour and even to make processed foods加工食品 healthier by reducing the amount of fat and salt needed in production.

Open standards

Peers said in the report that they found it "regrettable that the food industry was refusing to talk about its work in the area".

They added that it was exactly this behaviour that could prompt public backlash后冲，间隙 against the use of a technology that could bring many benefits to the public.

Lord Krebs said that the industry was "very reluctant to put its head above the parapet栏杆，扶手 and be open about research on nanotechnology".

"They got their fingers burnt over the use of GM crops and so they want to keep a low profile on this issue. We believe that they should adopt exactly the opposite approach. If you want to build confidence you should be open rather than secretive."

As part of this process, the committee recommends that the Food Standards Agency should have a publicly available register listing food and packaging that use nano-materials.

Julian Hunt, director of communications for the Food and Drink Federation⁶, said he was "surprised" by the criticism.

"Understandably, there are many questions and unknowns about the potential future uses of nanotechnologies in our sector, and there is much work still to be done, by scientists, governments and regulators, as well as the food and drink industry," Mr Hunt said.

"We support the report's recommendation推荐，建议 for the formation of an open discussion group to bring more transparency透明 that we know is important to consumers, and indeed we are already engaged in such initiatives, both at UK and EU level."

The Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies, run by the Washington-based Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, has found that there are currently 84 foods or food-related products that use nanotechnology.

The Food and Drink Federation says that none are currently manufactured in the UK.