One Comment

  1. blank Ellen Stokes, RD says:

    The headline for this article wants you to believe that there are toxic substances currently used as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) substances in the food supply, a claim attributed to the Pew report. The report said NO such thing.
    The report took issue with the Independently-Determined GRAS process, even though this process is held to the same rigorous scientific standards as GRAS Notification or the Food Additive Petition process. Independent reviewers still have to be able to provide scientific data, such as peer-reviewed studies, to back up their determination that a substance is safe.
    Yes, the scientists who serve on the review panels are paid for their time – would you expect them to work for free? Does getting paid somehow make them corrupt? Not in my book. If the FDA officials were in charge of hiring the scientists for all GRAS
    review panels, they would probably be hiring the same people who currently
    serve on these panels — at a staggering cost to taxpayers.
    GRAS substances must have a long history of safe use to be considered GRAS. As a registered dietitian who works closely with the International Food Additive Council, I have found no proof that the current system allowing for Independently-Determined GRAS isn’t working.

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