The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not exercise
adequate oversight over certain widely used food additives,
according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report
released last week. The GAO, the investigative research arm of
Congress, found that FDA’s oversight process simply “does not
help ensure the safety” of new additives deemed “generally
regarded as safe” (GRAS) by food companies. “Currently,
companies may determine a substance is GRAS without FDA’s
approval or knowledge,” said the report. As GAO notes, there are
have been instances where additives initially deemed GRAS were
later banned for safety reasons. In 1986, FDA banned the use of
sulfites on fruits and vegetables intended to be served raw and
added labeling requirements for food containing the additive
because of potentially severe allergic reactions. Sulfites had
been considered GRAS since 1959. Despite a slew of concerns from
consumer groups over the safety over certain GRAS additives, the
GAO found that FDA has not recons