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FDA seeks greater oversight of food ingredients through proposed GRAS rule changes

The Food and Drug Administration says it is taking steps to increase transparency in the food safety system.  Acting commissioner Kyle Diamantas says the FDA has proposed changes to modernize the Generally Recognized as Safe regulations.  “By proposing mandatory grass notifications, we are closing critical information gaps and giving FDA greater visibility into the substances in our food supply,” he says.

Currently, GRAS notifications are voluntary.  “GRAS” means a food ingredient is considered safe by qualified experts under its intended use.  

The Meat Institute says the proposed reforms are a good first step. But President and CEO Julie Anna Potts says the FDA needs to preserve the science-based, risk-based regulatory system.  She says the organization will work closely with FDA and the USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service to ensure reforms continue to protect food safety, support innovation, and preserve affordable meat and poultry options.

The Department of Health and Human Services and the US Department of Agriculture announced the agencies have submitted a white paper for final review that would define Ultra-Processed Foods.

Nutrition researcher Dariush Mozaffarian says defining ultra-processed food and closing the GRAS loophole are two of the FDA’s most consequential food actions in the last 50 years. “The FDA’s definition of ultra-processed food will be pragmatic, sensible, and grounded in science, built on how these foods have been characterized and the evidence demonstrating their health harms,” he says.  “This definition will inform purchasing by consumers, as well as by schools, hospitals, work sites, the military, jails, and other institutions.”

The International Dairy Foods Association says science must be the foundation of any policymaking for ultra-processed foods and research should be guided by clear, consistent definitions and rigorous scientific evidence. 

Public comments on the proposed GRAS rule will be accepted through December 9, 2026.