U.S. secretary of health and human services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has directed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to revise its Substances Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Final Rule in an effort to increase oversight of specific food ingredients and heighten food transparency.
“For far too long, ingredient manufacturers and sponsors have exploited a loophole that has allowed new ingredients and chemicals, often with unknown safety data, to be introduced into the U.S. food supply without notification to the FDA or the public,” Kennedy said in a recent statement. “Eliminating this loophole will provide transparency to consumers, help get our nation’s food supply back on track by ensuring that ingredients being introduced into foods are safe, and ultimately Make America Healthy Again.”
Currently, the FDA “strongly encourages” manufacturers to submit GRAS notices disclosing ingredients and substances that are safe to use, the Department of Health and Human Services specified in a press release. Manufacturers, however, can also affirm the use of a substance without notifying the FDA.
Removing the GRAS process “would require companies seeking to introduce new ingredients in foods to publicly notify the FDA of their intended use of such ingredients, along with underlying safety data, before they are introduced in the food supply,” the department added.
The latest initiative comes after the FDA proposed a new requirement in January to include nutrition labels on the front of packaged foods and drinks. Called the “Nutrition Info box,” the labeling system would detail the content of saturated fat, sodium and added sugars. It would also accompany the agency’s Nutrition Facts label.
