The FDA has revoked the regulation allowing brominated vegetable oil (BVO) in food. This oil is modified with bromine. He agency concluded that the intended use of BVO in food is no longer considered safe. A series of studies conducted in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health found the potential for adverse human health … Read more
The FDA is publishing its final rule on GRAS (generally recognized as safe) substances in human and animal food tomorrow. The rule “amends and clarifies the criteria in our regulations for when the use of a substance in food for humans or animals is not subject to the premarket approval requirements of the FD&C Act … Read more
The restaurant chain Panera is expanding the list of additives they will no longer have in the food they sell. By the end of 2016, all of the food it offers for sale will be free of artificial colors, sweeteners, and flavors. Panera just published a “No No List” of additives they are forbidding in … Read more
Environmental Working Group (EWG) has launched a petition to remove propyl paraben, an endocrine disruptor, from the country’s food. This ingredient is in 49 processed foods, including Sara Lee cinnamon rolls, Weight Watchers cakes, Energy Club nuts and chocolate blend, Entenmann’s Coconut Crunch Donuts, Setton Farms’ trail mix, and La Banderita corn tortillas. Propyl paraben … Read more
Environmental Working Group has published its first-ever “dirty dozen” guide to food additives. That organization has a “dirty dozen” list of produce that contains large amounts of pesticides and herbicides. This list is for label readers; it tells you which additives to avoid. Nitrates and nitrates are first on the list; they are chemicals used … Read more
The FDA has agreed to finally finalize its GRAS (Generally Regarded as Safe) rule, in response to a Center for Food Safety lawsuit. For 17 years, the FDA has let corporations fast track their food additives to get products onto the market. That allowed corporations to sell products that had not been reviewed by the government … Read more
According to the AP, Cocoa Cola and PepsiCo are going to remove brominated vegetable oil (BVO) from all of its drinks that contain it. That compound, which is patented as a flame retardant, is not approved for use in the European Union or Japan. It is found in Fanta, Powerade, Mountain Dew, and Fresca, along with … Read more
The Center for Food Safety has filed a lawsuit against the FDA over food additives. The suit asks the Court to vacate the government’s 1997 proposed rule on generally recognized as safe (GRAS) additives that lets corporations determine if a substance is GRAS or not. CFS wants the agency to go back to its old … Read more
When I was studying food science at the University of Minnesota, professors often mentioned the GRAS list. That list, which lists food additives that are “Generally Regarded as Safe“, is used by manufacturers to choose additives to use when they are developing products. Back then, most additives on the GRAS list were included because they … Read more
When you hear the word “caramel”, you most likely think of a soft brown candy, made by slowly cooking sugar. But “caramel coloring” is not the same thing. That artificial ingredient, used in products such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi, is made by combining corn sugar with chemicals such as ammonium and sulfates under high pressure … Read more