According to an article published on August 27, 2014 by the news provider Politico, the Grocery Manufactures Association (GMA) will disclose more information about how companies self-determine the safety of chemicals used in processed food, a process known as GRAS (generally recognized as safe). The new initiative will provide the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with access to a large database of safety information of chemicals commonly used in food and food packaging. The FDA increasingly faced pressures to put food additives, used both directly in foods, as well as in food contact materials (FCMs), under closer scrutiny. Tom Neltner, scientist at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), contends that GMA’s initiative is a big step. GMA’s chief science officer Leon Bruner states in the article that it is time for the food industry to rethink how it approaches food chemicals. With the new initiative, GMA is communicating to the world that they are taking a lead on the issue of food safety, according to Bruner.
Read more
Helena Bottemiller Evich (August 27, 2014). “Big Food to divulge chemical info.” Politico.
GMA (August 28, 2014). “Grocery Manufacturer Association Announces Industry Initiative on Ingredients Added to Food“
