Food and farming
Nano-sized fertilizers and crop sprays promise to feed plants and fight pests with less waste, and packaging sensors could show when food has spoiled. Several are on sale, and the evidence for some of them is contested, which we show.
2 technologies tracked here, by how far each has got.
From lab to your life
Where each one stands
Every technology sits on the step its dated, sourced milestones support, never where its makers hope it will be. Open one to see why it's there.
- 5Everyday lifeIt is probably already in your life.
- 4Approved or on saleYou can get it now, though it may not be common yet.
- 3Real-world testingCould reach you in a few years if the tests go well.
- Nothing we track here is at this step yet.
- 2Working prototypeStill years away; many prototypes stall here.
- Nothing we track here is at this step yet.
- 1Lab discoveryUsually 10 years or more from products, and most never get there.
- Nothing we track here is at this step yet.
On the record
The latest steps
The most recent dated events for everything in this topic, newest first, each with its source.
- Setback
Nano urea
A two-year field experiment by Punjab Agricultural University found wheat yields 21.6% lower and rice yields 13% lower with nano urea than with ordinary nitrogen fertilizer, with less protein in the grain.
Down To Earth, 3 Jan 2024 - Setback
E171
The EU ban took full effect: food made or sold in the EU after August 7, 2022 cannot contain titanium dioxide.
Food Safety Authority of Ireland, 15 July 2022 - Safety
E171
The EU withdrew titanium dioxide's approval as a food additive (Regulation 2022/63), with six months for food makers to phase it out.
Food Safety Authority of Ireland, 15 July 2022 - On saleCompany-reported
Nano urea
IFFCO launched nano urea, priced 10% below an equivalent bag of ordinary urea, with mass production at its Kalol plant near Ahmedabad.
ICIS, 1 June 2021 - Widely used
E171
The EU's food safety agency found E171 widely eaten, mainly in baking ingredients, soups, sauces and sandwich spreads.
Just Food, 7 May 2021 - Safety
E171
The European Food Safety Authority concluded that titanium dioxide can no longer be considered safe as a food additive, because it could not rule out damage to DNA (genotoxicity) after the particles are eaten.
Just Food, 7 May 2021