Under the new proposals, which await comments from industry members and stakeholders, the addition of nanoparticle additives and ingredients will be prohibited in organic certified cosmetics, clothing and foods.

Not yet proven safe

Dr Andrew Monk, BFA standards chair, said that the decision is a result of a growing body of evidence that human made nanoparticles introduce novel toxicity risks and the fact that the technology has yet to be proven safe.

"As with all technology choices, issues of consumer safety and environmental protection need to be balanced, assessing the 'need' for the technology in the first instance. At this point the organic industry is taking the view that there is no confirmed need for nanotechnologies," said BFA standards chair Dr Andrew Monk.

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