Lining the shelves of American supermarkets are food products with chemicals linked to health concerns. To a great extent, the FDA allows food companies to determine for themselves whether their ingredients and additives are safe.<\/p>\n
Companies don\u2019t have to tell the FDA about those decisions, and they don\u2019t have to list all ingredients on their product labels. Instead, companies can use broad terms such as \u201cartificial flavors.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 1958, Congress mandated that before additives could be used in foods manufacturers had to prove they were safe and get FDA approval. However, Congress carved out an exception for substances \u201cgenerally recognized as safe,\u201d which came to be known simply as GRAS.<\/p>\n
As conceived, GRAS promised regulatory relief for standard ingredients like salt, sugar, vinegar, and baking powder. Over time, \u201cthe loophole swallowed the law,\u201d said a 2014 Natural Resources Defense Council report.<\/p>\n
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to close or tighten the GRAS loophole. He has railed about the risks of food additives for years and has said he wants to end \u201cthe mass poisoning of American children.\u201d<\/p>\n
Whether changes come from the FDA or the food companies, it\u2019s clear Americans are becoming more concerned about what they\u2019re buying.<\/p>\n
\tDavid Hilzenrath
\n\tReporter<\/p>\n
\tHannah Norman
\n\tVideo producer & animator<\/p>\n
\tOona Zenda
\n\tArt director & illustrator<\/p>\n
KFF Health News<\/a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF\u2014an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF<\/a>.<\/p>\nUSE OUR CONTENT<\/h3>\n