Chemicals in Food meeting called by FDA

Those state bans on certain chemical additives in foods are now a subject being followed by the Food and Drug Administration, calling a public meeting  on the Development of an Enhanced Systematic Process for FDA’s Post-Market Assessment of Chemicals in Food

The public meeting set for Wednesday, Sept. 25 has some limited in-person attendance but with virtual attendance available. Consumers often rank food chemical concerns ahead of other food safety issues. Yet, some criticize the FDA for not adequately regulating additives.

The FDA invites the public to register for the public meeting on Chemicals in Food, which will be from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. EDT on Sept. 25. 

This meeting’s purpose is for the FDA to share information about the development of the agency’s enhanced systematic process for post-market assessment of chemicals in food, including considerations for identifying and prioritizing food chemicals currently in the market for safety reviews. 

In addition, industry and consumer advocacy experts, government officials, research organizations, and other stakeholders will have the opportunity to learn more, ask questions, and provide open public comment to address specific questions posed by the FDA. 

This information will help inform FDA of further development of the process. This project is part of a larger enhanced approach to food chemical safety. For additional information about the meeting, including requesting open public comments, please visit the Federal Register Notice.

The FDA is developing a systematic process for conducting post-market assessments of chemicals in food. This includes ingredients generally considered safe (GRAS), food additives, color additives, food contact substances, and contaminants. 

This is intended to guide FDA  post-market assessment work going forward and includes a transparent process for identifying and prioritizing food chemicals in the market for safety reviews. This project is part of a larger enhanced approach to food chemical safety.

The Consumer Reports director of food safety, Brian Ronholm,  has said: “The FDA’s system for ensuring that food additives are safe is broken.”  Ronholm, a former USDA deputy undersecretary for food safety, has been among those supporting leading state legislators who have banned certain additives on their own.

 In support of those state actions, Ronholm has said: “For too long, the FDA has been unable to keep up with the latest research documenting that some chemicals allowed in food pose unacceptable risks to our health. These bills will protect the public and help fill the regulatory gap by banning certain harmful food additives and requiring greater transparency from manufacturers when introducing new chemicals in food products without FDA review.”

California, New York, Illinois and Pennsylvania have been among the states leading these efforts. In May, for example, the California Assembly, where the current multi-state movement to ban certain food additives began two years ago, took further action; this time, its focus is on California’s $1.6 billion school lunch program.

In its recent action, the California Assembly sent the state Senate a bill that prohibits, commencing July 1, 2025, food containing seven specified food dye additives (Blue 1; Blue 2; Green 3; Red 40; Titanium dioxide; Yellow 5; and Yellow 6) from being offered, sold, or otherwise provided to students by school districts, county offices of education (COEs), charter schools, and state special schools.

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