Proposed rule would require companies to notify FDA of new food additives

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration plans to increase federal oversight of the food supply by requiring manufacturers to notify the agency when claiming a new chemical additive is safe for human or animal consumption.

For nearly 70 years, the FDA has relied on a voluntary disclosure system where manufacturers are allowed to self-certify their own chemical products as “Generally Recognized as Safe,” or GRAS.

As a result, thousands of chemical additives are present in the American food supply that have not undergone rigorous safety testing or received FDA approval.

The FDA’s proposed rule, which is open to public comment for the next 120 days, stops short of closing the GRAS loophole entirely but marks a “significant step towards” increased food transparency, Acting ...