The US Food and Drug Administration released a long-awaited plan to close a loophole in food regulation that lets manufacturers put certain chemicals in products without notifying national food regulators.
The FDA is proposing that food manufacturers notify the agency when they use ingredients that are generally recognized as safe, or GRAS, in their products. It’s a step toward healthier food reforms long advocated by the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, but a step behind more aggressive proposals that would require manufacturers to prove that refined sugars and flours are safe through new studies.
Still, MAHA leaders including US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. applauded the proposed rule Monday as a major win in the administration’s efforts to crack down on ultraprocessed foods and promote healthier diets.
“Today’s proposed rule lays a blueprint designed to work effectively for FDA oversight, responsible industry, and consumer safety advocates alike,” acting FDA Commissioner Kyle Diamantas told reporters Monday morning.
Another much-anticipated MAHA plan, a definition of ultraprocessed foods, is still working through review with multiple federal agencies including the US Departure of Agriculture. There have been concerns, primarily from the USDA, that the definition could be overly broad and inadvertently classify too many foods as ultraprocessed, according to three people familiar with internal discussions.
