One of the first synthetic foods to be lab-created was meat and the hamburger was the first in line to be tested. The scientist who created it had to have a taste of the burger, and he said it was not bad but needed seasoning. Since it is artificial beef cultured from the beef itself, one wonders if it is safe for consumption. This all depends of the level of pathogens present in the synthetic meat, but who is to say that it is safe or not safe when compared to natural beef? Suffice it to say, lab tests are still underway regarding this discovery, so do not expect to find a pound of this artificial meat in the supermarket soon!
Nano-foods on the other hand have had reports of toxins evident in them. Nano-foods are foods that don’t occur in nature as food. It has been reported that nano ingredients are being added into daily food basics such as fruit juices, cooking oil, teas, soft drinks and diet replacement milkshakes among others. These are items that are usually used in most households and it is therefore important for labels to be placed on the packaging. This would alert the consumer the product they are about to consume does contain nano ingredients, which gives them the choice of opting for them or others. Some organizations have called for a halt to the sale of nano foods until adequate testing has been done on them. This is important to show they are either safe for human consumption or not. Some of the nano materials used in the food industry include nano titanium oxide, nano silver and nano zinc. Scientists have actually gathered evidence to support the notion that most of the foods in the market exhibit warning signs of nano-toxicity, which can be toxic to both humans and the environment.
Since scientists have discovered that nano materials are unsafe for humans and the environment at large, governments should consider taking up this fight and have bills that regulate the usage of nano materials. They should also pass bills to mandate the labeling of all foods that contain nano materials in order to provide consumers with the option of choosing what they want to put into their bodies. Awareness programs should also be formed for the purpose of sensitizing consumers to the nano materials present in their foods.
