Particle.news
Download on the App Store
30 ARTICLES
·
3d ago

FDA Proposes Mandatory Notices for GRAS Food Additives

The proposal increases transparency in the food supply pending congressional action to expand FDA authority.

Customer with shopping cart in the snack aisle of a Walmart store in Florida City in the state of Florida in the United States of America (USA) on August 5, 2025. (Photo by Jc Milhet / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)
A shopper browses products at a grocery store in Wilmington, North Carolina, US, on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026. Global food prices ticked up in July to the highest in more than three years as renewed concerns over key grain export corridors compounded adverse weather across major growing regions. Photographer: Allison Joyce/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Signage is seen outside of the Food and Drug Administration headquarters in White Oak, Maryland, U.S., August 29, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

Overview

  • HHS and the FDA unveiled the proposal on Monday, Aug. 10, to require companies to notify the agency when they conclude a substance is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) and to publish the scientific basis for those notices.
  • Under the plan the FDA would check submissions for completeness within 45 days and aim to complete substantive reviews within 180 days.
  • The agency could request more data or find a submission does not meet GRAS standards while companies would still be allowed to market products before FDA completes its review.
  • HHS and USDA have sent a federal definition of “ultra‑processed foods” for final interagency and White House review, a separate step that could shape future dietary guidance or policy.
  • Supporters call the rule a long‑overdue transparency fix, critics note the FDA may lack staff and enforcement tools to vet thousands of existing additives, and administration officials say Congress must grant pre‑market authority for deeper reform.