The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed new rules to strengthen oversight of food ingredients. Currently, food companies can classify certain ingredients as “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) without notifying the FDA, allowing these ingredients to bypass the agency’s premarket approval process.
New Rules Proposed
The administration has proposed requiring companies to notify the FDA about GRAS ingredients, explain why they believe the ingredients are safe, and allow the agency to intervene if concerns arise. “Shifting to a mandatory notification system closes a decades-old information gap, giving the FDA the comprehensive visibility needed to enhance postmarket safety,” acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas told reporters on Monday.
The announcement comes as the FDA investigates multiple foodborne illness outbreaks, including Cyclospora in leafy greens and Salmonella in jalapeños. According to the Hearst Get the Facts data team, the FDA is currently conducting 17 active investigations into foodborne illness outbreaks, with Cyclospora and Salmonella being the most reported.
A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the FDA conducted fewer than 1,000 foreign food facility inspections annually between 2018 and 2023. The federal watchdog also found that the FDA has missed its domestic and foreign food facility inspection targets every year since 2018.
Original reporting: WESH Orlando — read the source article.
