Who decides what’s safe in your food?
Regulation of Added Substances in the Food Supply by the Food and Drug Administration Human Foods Program.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The FDA doesn’t see the data companies use to declare ingredients as GRAS.
Most people assume the FDA reviews all food additives — but this system lets companies act as both scientist and judge, with no transparency or accountability.
Practical Takeaways
Read ingredient labels more critically — look for unfamiliar chemicals and research them independently using trusted sources like EWG or Environmental Defense Fund.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
The FDA doesn’t see the data companies use to declare ingredients as GRAS.
Most people assume the FDA reviews all food additives — but this system lets companies act as both scientist and judge, with no transparency or accountability.
Practical Takeaways
Read ingredient labels more critically — look for unfamiliar chemicals and research them independently using trusted sources like EWG or Environmental Defense Fund.
Publication
Journal
American journal of public health
Year
2024
Authors
Jennifer L. Pomeranz, Emily M Broad Leib, Dariush Mozaffarian
Related Content
Claims (4)
Companies can say their food ingredients are safe all by themselves—no need to ask the government for permission—just by deciding they’re harmless based on their own research or common use.
Some ingredients in your food might be harmful and linked to diseases or cancer, but the FDA doesn’t check them first—companies just say they’re safe, and the government lets them get away with it.
The FDA lets a lot of chemicals in our food get approved without ever double-checking if they’re still safe—so some ingredients might be floating around in your snacks and meals that no one’s properly tested lately.
A court made a ruling that stopped the FDA from regulating some products as tightly as before, so now each state has to try to step in and protect people on its own — which might mean safety rules vary wildly from place to place.