The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Monday unveiled two food policy proposals aimed at increasing safety and transparency in the nation’s food supply.
The agency proposed requiring food manufacturers to notify the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) whenever they determine that an ingredient added to human or animal food is “generally recognized as safe” or GRAS.
Today, companies can make those decisions without telling regulators.
HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also submitted the federal government’s first proposed definition of ultraprocessed foods for final review by the FDA — a move officials said could eventually shape nutrition research, food labeling, dietary guidelines and other policies affecting what Americans buy and eat.
Officials did not release the definition or say when it would become public.
Food policy reform advocates called both proposals important first steps. However, they cautioned that the changes would not stop companies from introducing new ingredients or fully address the thousands of additives already in the food supply.
Speaking at a news conference Monday, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the proposals are designed to make it easier for people to understand what is in their food.
“Parents should not need a chemistry degree to understand what their children are eating,” he said. “Americans deserve real transparency. They deserve real food.”
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