New York State Democratic and Republican state lawmakers are joining forces to promote unprecedented food safety legislation “S1239B/A1556B,” aiming to strengthen the regulation of food additives. If passed, the bill will prohibit certain controversial food additives and require companies to disclose all “Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS) substances they are using along with their safety justifications.
“Generally Recognized As Safe” (GRAS) is a food additive safety certification system implemented by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1958. According to federal law, if a substance is widely regarded as safe, it can be used without formal FDA approval, categorized as “GRAS.”
This bill was introduced in the State Assembly by Democratic Assemblywoman Anna Kelles, a Ph.D. in nutritional epidemiology. She pointed out that when the public becomes aware that about 10,000 unlabeled chemicals are hidden in the foods available on the market, they “will feel extremely angry,” which has prompted collaboration across sectors to push for legislation.
The legislation stipulates that food companies must report all GRAS ingredients in their products to the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets, along with relevant scientific research. The state government will establish a public database for researchers and the public to access. This initiative is the first of its kind in the nation and may spur further regulatory reforms.
Furthermore, the bill will ban three additives prohibited for use in Europe, including the red dye Red#3, potassium bromate, and the preservative propylparaben, which can be carcinogenic or disrupt the endocrine system at high concentrations.
According to Gothamist, the food industry broadly opposes this bill, emphasizing that the current system is sufficient to safeguard food safety and warning that state-level legislation will result in “regulatory redundancy,” “consumer confusion,” and “increased costs.”
The bill has also garnered support from individuals across different political camps. Republican State Senator Peter Oberacker, who is also a meat scientist and sausage manufacturer, openly expressed his support, stating that this legislation is about establishing a system of scientific information, a rare bipartisan cooperation in the state legislature.
This legislation also reflects alignment with federal policies. Since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. assumed the position of Secretary of Health and Human Services, proposing the concept of “Make America Healthy Again,” the elimination of chemically synthesized colors has been a key aspect of his policy. The federal government has initiated a review of the FDA’s GRAS system, and recently the FDA approved three natural food coloring agents for use in food and beverages as alternatives to chemical synthetic colors.
The bill was passed by the State Senate Agriculture Committee on Wednesday and will be sent to the State Senate Health Committee for further review.