Need for More Effective Regulation of Direct Additives to Food
Highlights
The Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act requires that the safety of direct food additives be based on scientific evidence and that the evidence be reviewed and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, the act exempts from review and approval substances generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by experts or approved for use before 1958, and allows the safety determination for some of those substances to be based on experience drawn from common use in food. The safety of several of these exempted substances has been questioned. A review was undertaken to determine whether current legislative authority and FDA regulatory practices adequately protect the public against hazards from substances directly added to food. GAO examined provisions of the act which exempt about 1,450 substances from food additive regulation by FDA; reviewed several exempted substances the assumed safety of which was later questioned, and the removal from use of which has been proposed or completed; and evaluated the potential impact these exemptions could have on the level of evidence supporting the safety of the substances.
Recommendations
Matter for Congressional Consideration
| Matter | Status | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Congress should amend the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act to eliminate exemptions for GRAS and prior sanction substances. Changes to the law should provide for sufficient flexibility to encourage the use of information already available and to recognize that different types of scientific evidence may be appropriate to support the safety of food additives. The amendment should also provide a date on which the safety of all GRAS and prior sanction substances must be subject to Federal review and approval. | This report is 6 years old and no action has been taken on this recommendation. Additional work to update the findings is needed to determine if this recommendation is still valid. |
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should direct the Commissioner, FDA, to publish regulations establishing review criteria for assessing the safety of food additives and issue guidance defining the methods and controls to be used in conducting scientific safety tests. |
When we confirm what actions the agency has taken in response to this recommendation, we will provide updated information.
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| Department of Health and Human Services | The Secretary of Health and Human Services should direct the Commissioner, FDA, to revise regulations which list substances that FDA has affirmed as GRAS to indicate the kinds of evidence that support their safety. |
HHS disagreed with this recommendation stating that generalized statements about the levels of evidence that support GRAS affirmation would not provide a clear picture of the basis for particular decisions. Although FDA issued guidelines (August 1983) for chemistry and technological data requirements of GRAS petitions, it did not address the levels of incidence needed to support GRAS affirmation.
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