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FDA proposes mandatory notices for GRAS food additives
The proposal would require food companies to notify the FDA when they conclude an ingredient is Generally Recognized as Safe, expanding the public inventory of those determinations.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday issued a proposed rule that would require food manufacturers to notify the agency when they determine a food additive is Generally Recognized as Safe, or GRAS, according to HHS. HousingWire reports the move is part of the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.
Under the current framework established in 1958, companies can self-affirm that food ingredients are safe without a full government review. The FDA says it is shifting to a mandatory notification system to increase transparency and consumer confidence in the food supply, and acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas said the change closes a decades-old information gap.
The FDA also said GRAS ingredients include common items such as canola oil, black pepper, and vinegar. Kennedy said at an event in Washington that there is not an exact count of how many chemicals are in the food Americans eat each day, citing the existing information gap.
In related actions, HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have submitted a proposed definition of ultra-processed food for final review, and Diamantas said more details will come later. The FDA also plans to release guidance on minimizing biological hazards for processors of fresh-cut produce, amid ongoing salmonella and cyclosporiasis outbreaks affecting lettuce and jalapenos that have sickened thousands of people in the U.S.