The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently acted to modernize federal oversight of food ingredients. In a new proposed rule, food manufactures would be required to notify the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) whenever they determine that an ingredient added to human or animal food qualifies as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS).
The GRAS regulatory designation was originally intended for common ingredients, such as salt and sugar. In 1996, the FDA determined it couldn’t keep up with all of the requested reviews of new additives. The GRAS regulation became voluntary, leaving it up to food manufacturers to determine whether a substance is safe for consumption without notifying the FDA.
This proposed rule is a critical step towards addressing food safety, wellness, and nutrition, one that CURE emphasized in our 2025 policy report, “The Weight of a Nation: The Crisis of Childhood Obesity and a Blueprint for Reforms.” In the report, CURE outlines how the voluntary system had reduced transparency for consumers, including cases that led to illness and hospital visits.
Under the new proposal, GRAS notifications would become mandatory and would be included in an expanded public-facing inventory. CURE is pleased to support this new proposed HHS rule. Consumers are limited in making informed choices for their health and well-being and that of their family members when they are not provided information about the very things that they eat.
As CURE stated in our report, “The free market relies on transparency, yet the voluntary nature of GRAS reporting has allowed companies to operate without proper disclosure, leaving parents and consumers in the dark . . . Fixing the GRAS loophole doesn’t mean bloating the federal government with more regulations. It means putting power back in the hands of consumers and holding corporations accountable without stifling innovation.”
Photo credit: By GEOGOZZ – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
A good step in our need to, ‘CURE’ America.
Yes America would be so much greater if more Americans knew of CURE!