Food enriched with nano-sized minerals could soon make billions of people in developing countries healthier.

Nanofoods usually get blank looks. Ignorance may remain, however, as food companies appear reluctant to engage on the topic. I sense a PR disaster looming.

A House of Lords report is critical of the food industry’s lack of transparency with its research into the uses of nanotechnologies.

The Institute of Food Technologists released three review articles that provide greater detail on nanotechnology science and its application to food.

Your pocket guide to the emerging industry of nanotechnology: Contains Australian research and overseas research, covering nanotech in consumer products, health and food, water and the environment, energy development and nanosafety and regulation.

Nanotechnologies are being used to reduce food particles to smaller sizes to improve food characteristics, and to make plastic food packaging stronger, lighter or perform better. Are there any risks? The behaviour of manufactured nano-particles in foods and food packaging, as well as in our bodies is currently an area of active research.

We don’t have Star Trek replicators yet, but a 198 page nanotechnology roadmap funded by Sun Microsystems lists some surprising recent nano developments such as artificial tissue and ultrathin diamond nanorods. And the roadmap’s scientists are speculating targeted cancer therapies, super-efficient solar cells and high-density computer memory chips to be hot on their heels. Then there is the cool stuff.

Consumer and environment groups are concerned the burgeoning field of nanotechnology will soon be embraced by food companies and they want Australia’s Food Standards Code to keep pace.