May 2015 image3

The food and beverage industry has been operating under an FDA rule for ingredients “generally regarded as safe” (GRAS) that was proposed in 1997, but never officially finalized. Now, as the agency prepares to finalize that rule, a consumer coalition is requesting changes before the rule is declared final. The consumer group has called for a limitation on GRAS-eligible ingredients and wants more transparency from producers in the form of more FDA notifications and published exposure reports. The FDA is required by the courts to finalize the rule by August 2016.