RFK Jr. Moves to Close Food Additive Loophole

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday moved to tighten a decades-old loophole that has let food companies decide for themselves whether new ingredients are safe.

The FDA proposed converting its "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) program from a voluntary system into a mandatory one, requiring manufacturers to notify the agency before adding new ingredients to processed or packaged foods.

The GRAS program has allowed companies to self-certify ingredient safety since the 1950s, letting some additives enter the food supply with no federal review at all.

How It Would Work

Under the proposal, companies would submit a notice when they determine an additive is safe.

The FDA would review that notice within 45 days for completeness, then conduct a substantive safety review within 180 days.

The change would create post-market oversight — not a pre-approval requirement. Granting the FDA pre-market approval authority would require an act of Congress.