Consumer Brands Pledges Support for Overhaul of the GRAS System

Health Secretary Robert Kennedy's Make America Healthy Again commission report is set to be released tomorrow. With that looming, Consumer Brands Assn. circulated a news release this afternoon with the general theme of transparency – including some policy statements promising industry cooperation on the FDA’s ingredient review process.

The trade association said the consumer goods industry already is working with HHS, FDA and Congress to improve the ingredient review process, especially Generally Recognized As Safe; and “industry … agrees to mandatory GRAS notifications for new GRAS ingredients.”

Five paragraphs were devoted to the subject of ingredient reviews but they implied an acknowledgement that the GRAS system was less than transparent and stressed that “All new GRAS ingredients should go through an appropriate FDA pathway before entering the market. And for existing ingredients, industry will collaborate with FDA to deliver a comprehensive list of food ingredients to bring greater transparency to consumers.”

Generally, Consumer Brands defended the GRAS system, which initially was designed to forgo testing and review of familiar ingredients, such as salt, vinegar and baking powder. But it also allows processors or ingredient manufacturers to self-declare that a newly created ingredient is safe by performing research that is reviewed by an expert panel; notification to the FDA is not required.

That’s the part that has raised questions among consumers, members of Congress and newly installed federal regulators. The process has been blamed, perhaps unfairly, for allowing ingredients into the food supply that since have been banned, such as Red Dye 3, trans fats and brominated vegetable oil.

“FDA’s Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) process plays an important role in this proven system, enabling companies to innovate to meet consumer demand while also meeting FDA’s regulations and safety standards,” Consumer Brands said.

“Even though GRAS notifications have been voluntary, the FDA maintains a list of more than 1,000 GRAS notices provided by companies. GRAS is not a loophole for companies to sneak ingredients into the food supply. That said, can this FDA process be improved to bring greater understanding and visibility into how ingredients are evaluated for human consumption before and after entering the marketplace? Of course. And the industry is working with HHS, FDA and Congress to identify and implement solutions.”

But is FDA funding adequate for this effort? “For any of this to be successful, FDA needs adequate resources. Therefore, the industry is asking Congress to support funding for FDA functions dedicated to ingredient and additive safety (pre- and post-market reviews).”