The self-affirmed GRAS pathway has supported innovation in the food industry for decades by allowing companies to bring new ingredients to market based on robust scientific evidence. As FDA considers changing this pathway, manufacturers should understand both the criticisms driving the debate and the steps they can take to prepare for potential regulatory change.
Federally defining UPFs could allow U.S. regulatory agencies to pursue specific policies for the category. The importance of processing versus nutrient content and formulation in causing diet-related chronic diseases, as well as the value of defining UPFs, has been heavily debated.
Importantly, the proposal would not establish a premarket review and approval process for GRAS substances. Companies could still independently conclude that a substance is GRAS and market it while FDA evaluates the notice.
Two topics of increasing regulatory scrutiny—the "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) rule and a federal definition of ultra-processed food (UPFs)—have seen some movement at the U.S. Government's Office of Management and Budget, signaling progress on the Trump administration's food policy agenda.
The findings from a pre-competitive, industry–academia research collaboration provide a scientific foundation for discussions on quality standards and risk management in the plant-based dairy-alternative beverage sector.
Of the products (including chips, mayonnaise, and salad dressings) labeled to contain avocado oil as the sole declared edible oil, 89 percent contained fatty acid and sterol profiles indicating the presence of other oils.
The letter to industry was issued in response to the botulism outbreaks linked to Nara Organics and ByHeart formulas, which identified Clostridia in the whole milk powder ingredient supply chain, as well as the global formula recall due to cereulide-contaminated arachidonic acid oil.
RSS
