{"id":9191,"date":"2019-10-31T12:39:48","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T17:39:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/?p=9191"},"modified":"2019-11-01T14:51:13","modified_gmt":"2019-11-01T19:51:13","slug":"without-a-food-safety-overhaul-for-additives-the-innovative-food-craze-could-spiral-out-of-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.edf.org\/health\/2019\/10\/31\/without-a-food-safety-overhaul-for-additives-the-innovative-food-craze-could-spiral-out-of-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Without a food safety overhaul for additives, the innovative food craze could spiral out of control"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tom Neltner, J.D.<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0<\/em>Chemicals Policy Director<\/p>\n

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At an FDA-sponsored conference<\/a>, EDF proposed a new path forward to ensure innovative food ingredients are safe by overhauling how food additives are regulated today.<\/p>\n

[\/pullquote]Every day brings reports of new ingredients that food innovators around the world have developed to meet consumer demands for a healthier and more sustainable food supply. The innovations range from new ways to extract useful additives from existing sources such as algae to bioengineering to make novel ingredients like sweeteners or proteins that can be grown in a tank instead of on a farm.<\/p>\n

At EDF, we encourage innovation that helps communities and the environment thrive, especially in the face of the threats posed by climate change. However, an innovator\u2019s bold claims, especially those involving food safety, must be closely scrutinized before the additive hits the marketplace. Given the potential for harm to consumers, we cannot simply take a company\u2019s assertion of safety at face value \u2013 there must be transparency and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) must provide an independent review.<\/p>\n

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The rise of innovative food ingredients shines a bright light on a broken system <\/strong><\/p>\n

We have seen the consequences of too little oversight play out across various industries \u2013 from the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan to the tragic Boeing 737 Max airplane crashes to criminal convictions for food safety violations by Peanut Corporation of America<\/a>. Each has fundamentally reshaped public perceptions and continues to impact federal policy.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the potential for dangerous, unintended consequences from industry self-regulation is also present when it comes to innovative food ingredients. This is due to FDA\u2019s flawed interpretation of a loophole in the law for substances that are considered \u201cGenerally Recognized as Safe\u201d (GRAS). This flawed interpretation allows companies to self-certify, in secret, the uses of chemical additives as safe, without notice to the agency or the public. Not only is this a shortsighted business practice, we maintain that the system FDA has established is illegal, and along with the Center for Food Safety and represented by Earthjustice, we have challenged FDA\u2019s interpretation in court<\/a>.<\/p>\n

FDA has acknowledged the need for more oversight of innovative food ingredients in its most recent budget request<\/a> when the agency said it needed $36 million in additional funds to:<\/p>\n