GRAS: Food Companies #1 Shortcut
Many people don’t know what goes into our food. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) likely doesn’t know exactly what is in our food. With the rise of processed food in the 1950’s and 1960’s, many of the new processed food companies chose to add many ingredients to their new food products, even some that didn’t change the taste of the product. The original idea behind processed food was to provide a quick and easy meal for working people. However, due to the cost-cutting methods used by some food companies, the quality of the food suffered.
These processed food companies took a shortcut in the form of the GRAS list (Generally Recognized As Safe). Placing an item on this list by-passed strict FDA regulations on food additives. The GRAS list came about in conjunction with a food additive law in 1958. Through the law, Congress insisted that any new substances being added to our food would have to go through a rigorous review process by the FDA before being allowed. However, Congress didn’t feel the need to make everyday ingredients go through a testing process.
The original intent of the GRAS list was for ingredients such as salt, vinegar, yeast, and spices to be passed along as safe, without an extensive testing process. However, the GRAS list was completely voluntary. Companies soon realized how much easier it was to add something to the GRAS list as opposed to going through the arduous FDA approval process. The GRAS list became a dumping ground for all kinds of ingredients and chemicals.
In 1997 it became even easier to get an ingredient added to the GRAS list. Companies were now allowed to ‘notify’ the FDA of any food items for the GRAS list after the fact, or not at all. In addition, they were allowed to conduct their own reviewing process. As a result of this change, between 2000 and 2013, there were only four formal food additive petitions submitted to the FDA. The rest all slid onto the GRAS list.
The FDA did say that any food additive must be tested before being placed on the GRAS list. However, they didn’t make any requirements about who did the testing and how the testing was conducted. Thus, the food companies cut many corners in this regard. A toxicologist who completes these determinations, said that he has had companies take their business elsewhere if he recommended further testing. Virtually anyone can complete these tests, as there are instances where someone with a ‘Dr.’ in front of his name has confirmed ingredients, even if the doctor was not someone with knowledge in this area. ‘Dr.’ could mean something as simple as a doctor of divinity or something you pick up online.
In addition, some food companies used a panel to determine what was safe and what was not. A chemical engineer leading a third party’s examination of the FDA’s food additives, claims that these panels are not reputable. Out of 410 panels, there were 11 instances where the panel was just one person. In addition, there was one person who served on 185 panels, over 45% of all GRAS list designations.
If the FDA decides there is a problem with any ingredient (which rarely happens because the FDA doesn’t regularly review the list), they
give the company an opportunity to withdraw their notification. There are no penalties or consequences for harmful food additives, and there are no incentives for doing the testing the right way. In fact, over 50% of all food additives have not been properly tested and researched in animal (or human) toxicology studies. This means that over half of all food additives may have been declared safe just because there are similar chemicals already on the market. This is referred to as the “daisy chaining of chemicals.”
Since the GRAS list came about in 1957, the FDA has only done one review of the ingredients and that was in 1972. The review examined 415 additives and determined that 25 needed to be removed immediately and 19 more needed to undergo more testing. I can only imagine these numbers would be significantly worse if another review was done today. The processed food industry has become more popular and the engineers have become more knowledgeable about what types of ingredients yield the largest profit for the food companies.
Many of these food additives are substances and chemicals the average American couldn’t even dream of pronouncing, let alone know what purpose they serve in our food. This effectively defeats the whole purpose of the list: declaring everyday household food ingredients as safe. Humans continue to eat more and more processed foods every day, but can we be certain they are safe? The answer is a resounding ‘no’ because the GRAS list is not being used for its intended use and is instead being used as a shortcut by the processed food industry. I think it is about time the FDA did a full and extensive review of everything being added to our food. On top of that, they need to hold companies responsible for putting unhealthy ingredients into our food.
These processed food companies took a shortcut in the form of the GRAS list (Generally Recognized As Safe). Placing an item on this list by-passed strict FDA regulations on food additives. The GRAS list came about in conjunction with a food additive law in 1958. Through the law, Congress insisted that any new substances being added to our food would have to go through a rigorous review process by the FDA before being allowed. However, Congress didn’t feel the need to make everyday ingredients go through a testing process.
The original intent of the GRAS list was for ingredients such as salt, vinegar, yeast, and spices to be passed along as safe, without an extensive testing process. However, the GRAS list was completely voluntary. Companies soon realized how much easier it was to add something to the GRAS list as opposed to going through the arduous FDA approval process. The GRAS list became a dumping ground for all kinds of ingredients and chemicals.
In 1997 it became even easier to get an ingredient added to the GRAS list. Companies were now allowed to ‘notify’ the FDA of any food items for the GRAS list after the fact, or not at all. In addition, they were allowed to conduct their own reviewing process. As a result of this change, between 2000 and 2013, there were only four formal food additive petitions submitted to the FDA. The rest all slid onto the GRAS list.
The FDA did say that any food additive must be tested before being placed on the GRAS list. However, they didn’t make any requirements about who did the testing and how the testing was conducted. Thus, the food companies cut many corners in this regard. A toxicologist who completes these determinations, said that he has had companies take their business elsewhere if he recommended further testing. Virtually anyone can complete these tests, as there are instances where someone with a ‘Dr.’ in front of his name has confirmed ingredients, even if the doctor was not someone with knowledge in this area. ‘Dr.’ could mean something as simple as a doctor of divinity or something you pick up online.
In addition, some food companies used a panel to determine what was safe and what was not. A chemical engineer leading a third party’s examination of the FDA’s food additives, claims that these panels are not reputable. Out of 410 panels, there were 11 instances where the panel was just one person. In addition, there was one person who served on 185 panels, over 45% of all GRAS list designations.
If the FDA decides there is a problem with any ingredient (which rarely happens because the FDA doesn’t regularly review the list), they
give the company an opportunity to withdraw their notification. There are no penalties or consequences for harmful food additives, and there are no incentives for doing the testing the right way. In fact, over 50% of all food additives have not been properly tested and researched in animal (or human) toxicology studies. This means that over half of all food additives may have been declared safe just because there are similar chemicals already on the market. This is referred to as the “daisy chaining of chemicals.”
Since the GRAS list came about in 1957, the FDA has only done one review of the ingredients and that was in 1972. The review examined 415 additives and determined that 25 needed to be removed immediately and 19 more needed to undergo more testing. I can only imagine these numbers would be significantly worse if another review was done today. The processed food industry has become more popular and the engineers have become more knowledgeable about what types of ingredients yield the largest profit for the food companies.
Many of these food additives are substances and chemicals the average American couldn’t even dream of pronouncing, let alone know what purpose they serve in our food. This effectively defeats the whole purpose of the list: declaring everyday household food ingredients as safe. Humans continue to eat more and more processed foods every day, but can we be certain they are safe? The answer is a resounding ‘no’ because the GRAS list is not being used for its intended use and is instead being used as a shortcut by the processed food industry. I think it is about time the FDA did a full and extensive review of everything being added to our food. On top of that, they need to hold companies responsible for putting unhealthy ingredients into our food.