What additives are in your food? The FDA doesn't always know, but seeks to change that
Summary
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has a new proposal that would require food companies to tell the agency when they add a new ingredient to food for people or animals. Currently, companies can decide on their own that an ingredient is safe without informing the FDA. This proposal is part of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s plan to improve food safety.Key Facts
- For nearly 70 years, companies could self-certify ingredients as "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) without notifying the FDA.
- The new proposal would require companies to notify the FDA when adding new ingredients but does not require FDA approval before selling them.
- The GRAS exemption started in 1958 for common ingredients like salt and vinegar, which did not need FDA review.
- Over time, the exemption has covered many more ingredients than originally intended.
- About 99% of new food chemicals since 1958 have entered the market through the GRAS process instead of formal FDA approval.
- The proposal is part of the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) agenda by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- Some experts say the change is a small improvement but not a major one in food safety oversight.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
