Article Summary:
In his first weeks as health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has declared war on the “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) regulatory process. This obscure pathway allows food companies to introduce new ingredients or chemicals into products without FDA review, as long as they self-certify the items as safe. Kennedy has described GRAS as a “loophole” that needs to be eliminated, arguing it has led to thousands of untested ingredients flooding the American food system.
However, the elimination of GRAS would also impact the growing supplement industry, which has regularly used the pathway to quickly bring new ingredients to market with little oversight. Supplement makers are worried they could become “collateral damage” in Kennedy’s campaign targeting unhealthy foods. They have intensely lobbied the FDA, concerned the changes could limit consumer choice in supplements.
Kennedy himself has been an avid supporter of supplements, promising to end the “aggressive suppression” of vitamins and dietary supplements. Many in his circle have ties to the supplement industry, further complicating the matter.
The fight highlights a tension in Kennedy’s movement as it wields power in Washington – the desire to restrain predatory industries, while easing government oversight of alternative health practices. How this plays out remains unclear, but the GRAS designation has provided a “wild west” loophole for supplement makers to bypass more stringent safety requirements. This could be a “litmus test” for how seriously the administration tackles the problems with GRAS.