109 6 Nanofoods: Environmental, Health, and Socioeconomic Risks or the Achilles’ Heel of Nanotechnologies? Simon Beaudoin, Louise Vandelac, and Christian Papilloud 6.1 Introduction After more than 20 years of laboratory and research and development (R&D) work, advances in the nanotechnology field permeate almost all research areas in live and material sciences (e.g., chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, engineering). They are widely commercialized owing to substantial help from public authorities, themselves banking heavily on the competitive advantages touted by the industry (Roco 2005). Since early 2000, more than 60 countries in the world show strong activities in this field. The major league players, includ- ing the United States, China, South Korea, the European Union, Russia, and Japan (PCAST 2012), accelerate their strategic development plans in the hope of better market shares (EEB 2009). The rise of nanotechnologies can also be clearly observed through the multiplication of specialized and vernacular publications (from a little more than 30,000 in 1998 to more than 100,000 in 2009; cf. ObservatoryNANO 2011), as well as the increasing annual rate of pat- ent submissions (+34.5% between 2000 and 2008; cf. Dang et al. 2010). Economic predictions regarding the exponential growth of the nano- technology market can be factored into the skyrocketing popularity of the field. According to the consulting firm Cientifica (2011), whose work notably CONTENTS 6.1 Introduction ................................................................................................ 109 6.2 Nanofood Sector ........................................................................................ 110 6.3 Nanofood Public Policies .......................................................................... 113 6.4 Nanofood Scientific and Social Assessment .......................................... 115 6.5 Nanofood’s Potential Impacts .................................................................. 116 6.6 Conclusion .................................................................................................. 117 Acknowledgments .............................................................................................. 120 Bibliography ........................................................................................................ 121