Americans have a right to know what is in their food.
That shouldnt be controversial. You should be able to walk into a grocery store, read a label, and be confident that the ingredients listed on the food you are buying have been subject to transparent, science-based oversight and are safe for consumption. The Trump administration has now taken an important step toward doing exactly that.
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) proposed a rule requiring food manufacturers to notify the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) whenever they determine that an added substance is Generally Recognized as Safe, or “GRAS.” When Congress passed the Food Additives Amendment in 1958, the idea was simple: ingredients with a documented history of safe use or those that qualified experts had agreed were safe should not face the same pre-market approval process as brand-new food additives. Everyday substances like salt, vinegar, black pepper, and baking powder fall into this category.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION EXPANDS ‘PRODUCT OF USA’ LABEL AS PUSH FOR AMERICAN-RAISED BEEF GROWS
Unfortunately, our regulatory system has fallen short of that basic standard. And over time, the exception became the rule.
Under the current system, manufacturers can self-determine whether a new additive is GRAS and introduce it to the U.S. food supply without notifying the FDA or the public. The manufacturer is still responsible for maintaining evidence to support its own determination, but the FDA may have no advance notice when a new substance enters the supply chain.
And that is the problem. The FDA cannot effectively oversee substances and ensure our health if it does not know they are entering the food supply, and Americans cannot make fully informed choices when our system lacks transparency. Thats a loophole.
GEN Z TURNS ON CLASSIC SNACKS, FORCING MAJOR GROCERY SHAKE-UP: ‘THEY DON’T TRUST THEM’
One that has allowed large food manufacturers to flood the domestic food market with new substances without FDA review or even FDA notification.
Weve raised this issue before at the America First Policy Institute (AFPI). Last year, we laid out this problem in an issue brief, “Make America Healthy Again by Ensuring Safe Foods,” calling for greater transparency and accountability in the GRAS process.
RFK JR HAILS FIRST US HOSPITAL TO PROMISE HEALTHIER MEALS: ‘WE HAVE A TEMPLATE’
The proposed rule would require the FDA to maintain a public list of GRAS notices, giving researchers, regulators, and consumers visibility into ingredients entering the marketplace. For substances already on the market, the Trump administration is proposing a streamlined process to ensure the public has transparency about what is in their food.
This is exactly how you modernize our food system and close loopholes: increase transparency and give responsible manufacturers a path to compliance. Weve already seen why reform is necessary. Consider tara flour, a fo
