The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched the new Human Foods Program on Oct.
1. The program will reorganize the agency to make it better at overseeing and protecting the human food supply. Some of the changes under this program include having a systematic post-market assessment of chemicals in food, such as food and color additives, substances that are Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS), food contact substances, and unintentional food contaminants.
Many academics and lawyers in food regulation hope that this new program will lead to stricter regulation on food additives approved under the GRAS label. The GRAS designation allows food companies to determine the safety of additives without mandatory FDA review, raising concerns about the lack of transparency and oversight of potential health risks. “One of the big concerns, is that there are unknown ingredients in the food supply that the FDA and the public doesn’t know about,” Jennifer Pomeranz, associate professor of public health policy and management at NYU School of Global Public Health, told The Epoch Times.
The agency is still taking public comments for its post-market system until Dec. 6, and the system is set to launch in 2025. A significant aspect of this reorganization includes focusing on food inspections, investigations, and imports.
Enhance Oversight: The program plans to create a more thorough review process for GRAS substances and food additives, ensuring that safety data is carefully evaluated.
