Trump officials propose new scrutiny of food additives and ingredients

FDA wants more information from food makers on new food chemicals

For decades, food manufacturers have been able to decide which food chemicals were safe enough to add to their products based on general government guidelines.

Alarms blare as RFK Jr. releases food plan that nobody really understands: report

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promising the federal government's first official definition of ultra-processed foods.There's just one problem, reported Nicholas Florko for The Atlantic: nobody, including scientists who study the category, actually agrees on what counts.Kennedy announced Monday at a "food policy celebration" at HHS headquarters that the department is finalizing the long-awaited definition, though the…

Unlikely alliance targets GRAS loophole in America’s ultra-processed food crisis

Federal data confirms ultra-processed foods constitute 55% of the average American’s daily caloric intake, with youth consuming nearly 62%. A 1958 regulatory loophole, known as GRAS, allows companies to self-certify food additives without direct FDA approval. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and former FDA Commissioner David Kessler have formed an unlikely alliance to challenge […]

Health department announces plans for GRAS substances and ultra-processed foods

The federal government has announced two plans regarding the safety of foods. The plans address the so-called GRAS loophole and the definition of ultra-processed foods.In the announcement from the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said by proposing a definition for ultra-processed foods the government is addressing the nation’s “chronic disease epidemic.”“Nearly 60 percent of the American diet is made up of …

Nearly 99% of New Food Chemicals Entered the Market Through This Loophole — Now RFK Jr. Wants to Change It

For decades, food companies have been able to decide an ingredient is safe without ever telling the FDA. The agency wants to put an end to that.Credit: Heather Diehl / Getty ImagesKey PointsHHS proposed requiring food manufacturers to notify the FDA when they determine that an ingredient is Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), which would eliminate the current option to make that determination without notifying the agency.HHS and the USDA submit…

The Trump Administration Wants More Food Ingredient Disclosure

Snacks are displayed for sale on shelves at a Target store on August 10, 2026 in Austin, Texas. —Brandon Bell—Getty ImagesRobert F. Kennedy Jr. rose to prominence in part by criticizing America’s reliance on ultraprocessed foods and promising to make the food supply healthier. On Aug. 10, he announced proposed changes to a longstanding U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) process that determines when food companies have to tell the agency tha…