Amongst the general public, many people will have heard of nanotechnology but do they understand the risks and benefits and how do they feel about it being used in the food industry?  Producers and processors need to understand what consumers think before any emerging technology can be used effectively, but the research in this area is limited.  Academics from Newcastle have been involved in an extensive and ground breaking review of the literature and found that overall the public is more willing to accept nanotechnology being used in food packaging than in the food itself.  The research has been published in the Journal of Nanoparticle Research and was featured in Nature Nanotechnology Research Highlights.