RFK Jr. Wants To Eliminate FDA’s Controversial Food Additive Program. Here’s Why That Matters

March 12, 2025 | Source: CNN Health | by Sandee LaMotte

CNN — US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has begun the process of eliminating a US Food and Drug Administration program called GRAS, or “generally recognized as safe,” that critics say has been abused by the food industry for decades.

Nearly 99% of new chemicals used in food or food packaging since 2000 were green-lit for use not by the FDA but by the food and chemical industry, according to a 2022 analysis.

During that period, food manufacturers asked the FDA’s permission to introduce a new substance only 10 times, according to the analysis conducted by the Environmental Working Group, or EWG, an environmental and health advocacy organization based in Washington.

“For far too long, ingredient manufacturers and sponsors have exploited a loophole that has allowed new ingredients and chemicals, often with unknown safety data, to be introduced into the U.S. food supply without notification to the FDA or the public,” Kennedy said in a statement Monday.

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