Last updated at 12:01 AM on 08th January 2010Britain is on the brink of a massive expansion in foods containing controversial 'grey goo' nanoparticles, according to the former head of the Food Standards Agency.
Low-calorie chocolate and beer that doesn't go flat could be on sale within just five years, Lord Krebs said last night.
However, he and other peers believe there will be no requirement for the hi-tech products to be labelled as containing nanoparticles - microscopic compounds that can worm their way into the brain, liver and kidneys with unknown consequences.
But critics said the public have the right to know what they are putting into their bodies, and point out that new legislation will mean that cosmetics that contain nanoparticles will have to be clearly labelled.
Once derided by Prince Charles as 'grey goo', nanoparticles are tiny particles - 300 million would fit in a pinhead - with powerful properties that make them of interest to food companies. READ MORE
