Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is directing the Food and Drug Administration to eliminate a food safety loophole.

The rule known as "Generally Recognized as Safe" — or GRAS — allows manufacturers to add certain food additives without prior approval if they meet specific criteria deemed safe for consumption by experts.

GRAS originated in the late 1990s when the agency struggled to keep up with a surge of requests to approve new additives. It was intended for narrow application to common ingredients such as sugar, vinegar, and baking soda.

However, critics argue that it is too easy for manufacturers to add ingredients to products without notifying regulators.

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“For far too long, ingredient manufacturers and sponsors have exploited a loophole that has allowed new ingredients and chemicals, often with unknown safety data, to be introduced into the U.S. food supply without notification to the FDA or the public,” said Kennedy. “Eliminating this loophole will provide transparency to consumers, help get our nation’s food supply back on track by ensuring that ingredients being introduced into foods are safe, and ultimately Make America Healthy Again.”

Research published in 2024 by New York University and funded by the National Institutes of Health recommended the FDA take a stronger role in regulating what is in food.

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“Both the FDA and the public are unaware of how many of these ingredients—which are most commonly found in ultra-processed foods—are in our food supply,” said Jennifer Pomeranz, associate professor of public health policy and management at NYU School of Global Public Health.

“Both the FDA and Congress can do more to enable the FDA to meet its mission of ensuring a safe food supply,” added Pomeranz.