Nanotechnology from laboratory to Food and Agri-Food Systems

Nanotechnology is emerging as the technological platform for the next wave of development and transformation of agri-food systems. Nanotechnology is attracting large-scale investment from global food corporations, is backed by academic science, and has captured financial and ideological support from many governments around the world. As a result, nanotechnology is rapidly moving from the laboratory and onto the farm, supermarket shelves and the kitchen table.Application of this science to produce food are commonly known as agrifood nanotechnology. However, while it is clear that agrifood nanotechnology is expected to become a driving economic force in the long-term, less certain is precisely what to expect in the near-term. Some of the key questions include:• What individual products are moving rapidly through the pipeline?• What impact will these products have on the farming and food production chain?• When these products arrive in the grocery store and on the farm, is there any reason to be concerned—or excited—about putting them in our bodies or using them in our environment