Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS)

So you’ve started reading those food labels to make sure you are controlling what you are taking into your body. You are looking for all those different names for sugars and sodium. You are also trying to avoid all those chemicals. You think for the most part you are doing well. Sure you’ll get an artificial color or artificial flavor in something, but it’s just one or two things. How bad can that be?

Here’s the bad news: it can be real bad! The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has a category of food additives that they call Generally Regarded as Safe (GRAS). My favorite part when you read about GRAS is this sentence:

GRAS or prior-sanctioned status does not guarantee a substance’s safety. Sometimes new evidence shows that a substance may not be as safe as it was commonly thought to be. If new data suggests that a substance under either of these categories may be unsafe, the FDA may take action to remove the substance from food products or require the manufacturer to conduct studies to evaluate the newly raised concern.

The FDA also allows the food manufacturers to alert them to a new GRAS status of a substance and provide the support for their claim. In other words, I give you something to ingest and then get you the evidence, from my own research that I conduct, to let you know it’s safe. Haven’t we already heard this coming from Big Tobacco! The FDA GRAS list is quite long and has many different categories under it.

If you want to know more about GRAS, read the FDA GRAS Industry guide FAQ sheet. Maybe it’s me, but I see some deception possibly happening here. Read and let me know what you think. Maybe you’ll get the warm and fuzzies from it… or maybe that’s the acetaldehyde, irritating the mucus membrane lining your entire digestive system, that is on the GRAS list!