Maybe this isn’t the first food industry response to the report on nanotechnology and food/packaging made to the UK House of Lords but it does seem odd to still be responding some 18 months after the fact. At the least, I think Dr. Mike Knowles, global scientific and regulatory affairs vice president for Coca-Cola, could have given a more interesting reply (from the Oct. 10, 2011 article by Rory Harrington on FoodProductionDaily.com),

Lord Krebs, chairman of the Science and Technology Committee, scolded the sector over its “reluctance to put its head above the parapet and declare openly what kind of research was going on to develop nanotechnology in food”. The report [Nanotechnologies and Food: Science and Technology Committee Report] backed the introduction of a public register on the nano-research to assuage consumer anxiety.

But Dr Knowles rejected the criticisms and said it was a failure of the committee to grasp basic commercial realities.

“Nobody can stay in business if they disclose their commercial secrets to their competitors. We are doing as much as we can,” he said. “The House of Lords did not understand the arguments. I was disappointed with that aspect of the report. We need to explain the development of the technology and address concerns of non-governmental organisation (NGOs) and consumers. We will continue to engage with the public as consumer knowledge is vital if people are to embrace the technology.”

I did look at the report (my comments about it in a Jan. 7, 2010 posting and about the government debate in response to it in a March 29, 2010 posting) and don’t recall any suggestion to reveal trade secrets in either the report or subsequent government debate.

Knowles made his comments during the FoodDrinkEurope’s 4th annual Nanotechnology Stakeholder Dialogue Meeting on Oct. 5, 2011. From the Oct. 5, 2011 FoodDrinkEurope press release,

Speaking at the Fourth Nanotechnology Dialogue Day, Dr. Mike Knowles, Chairman of the FoodDrinkEurope Nanotechnology Expert Group commented: “Today’s meeting demonstrates the progress being made by food manufacturers for the fourth consecutive year in continuing to engage in an open, transparent and constructive dialogue with stakeholders around the important subject of nanotechnologies and their potential benefits for the consumer and society in addressing social, economic and environmental challenges of our time.  We hope that, with this Dialogue, the food industry is helping to address misconceptions and fears around the potential use of nanotechnologies in our industry and we look forward to continuing this process moving forward, keeping consumers fully informed of new developments.”

The FoodDrinkEurope organization does have a nanotechnology webpage where you can get more information about nanotechnology, stakeholder dialogues, European Union nano projects funded as part of the 7th Framework Programme, etc.