Your letter also invited further information on five points. Points 3 and 5 were answered in Gillian Merron's letter of 21 July, which also addressed point 2 but from the broader perspective of the relationship between FSA and EU funded research (Q638 in the transcript). The specific work that is being considered for funding by the FSA is part of a 4 million euro project (Nanolyse) that is being led by the RIKILT Institute of Food Safety (The Netherlands), and is aimed at developing analytical methods for detection and characterisation of nanoparticles in food. The project aims to fulfil a major current need for validated detection/characterisation technologies that will enable quality control and safety assurance of the food products that are developed using nanotechnology-derived materials. The project is being undertaken by a consortium of research centres that includes the Food and Environment Research Agency in York. FSA has been asked to provide "top-up" funding for FERA's part of the work.

  In relation to point 1, FSA officials have not yet been able to find any more information about the characteristics of silica that is used as a food additive and it is therefore not possible to comment on the relevance of the German work on amorphous silica. FSA Officials will continue to search for more information and report back shortly on progress. Point 4 concerns the European Commission's plans for an EU inventory. This was originally included in the list of "top ten actions" that the Commission drew up at the end of 2008. However, they have taken no action to date and officials understand from their Commission contacts that nothing is currently planned, at least in the food area. I hope this resolves the apparent inconsistency.

5 August 2009