Dirty Dozen Guide to Food Additives: Generally Recognized as Safe – But is it?

The government classifies some additives as “Generally Recognized as Safe” or GRAS. They are presumed to be safe in food and are not required to undergo pre-market review and approval. This system makes sense for benign additives such as pepper and basil, but there are enormous loopholes that allow additives of questionable safety to be listed as GRAS. Manufacturers can decide whether these compounds are safe without any oversight by the Food and Drug Administration – and in some cases obtain GRAS status without telling the FDA at all.

Source: Generally Recognized as Safe – But is it?