By Sarah Todd and Lizzy Lawrence. Originally published in Stat News on Feb. 19, 2025.
Emily Broad Leib is quoted in this article.
A lot of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s ideas about health are controversial. But when it comes to his pitch on increasing oversight of chemicals in the U.S. food supply, even the Food and Drug Administration agrees it needs to do a better job.
One of Kennedy’s specific targets is the exemption that’s long allowed food manufacturers to introduce new additives without first receiving approval from FDA. This loophole, known as “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, “looks at any new chemical as innocent until proven guilty,” Kennedy said at his confirmation hearing as the nominee to head Health and Human Services.
The GRAS rule has paved the way for thousands of ingredients never reviewed by the FDA to become embedded in the foods Americans eat. Even as researchers raise concerns about their potential health consequences, additives have only increased in the U.S. food supply: Between 2001 and 2019, the portion of packaged foods containing additives grew from 49.6% to 59.5%.
Read the full article.
Food Law & Policy, Commentary
Policy to Reduce Methane Emissions and Feed More People
April 3, 2025