FDA Moves to Increase Oversight of Food Additives

U.S. Food and Drug Administration is moving to strengthen oversight of food additives by requiring manufacturers to notify the agency when they determine an ingredient is “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS).

 

Since 1958, companies have been able to self-affirm GRAS status without full government review, and notification has been encouraged but not required. The proposed rule would make notification mandatory and expand a public inventory, addressing what officials describe as a decades-old information gap about chemicals entering the food supply.

The FDA is accepting public comments for 120 days, while additional produce-safety guidance is planned. Read more from Reuters here.