Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - A recent investigation found at least 111\nchemicals with unknown safety levels added to foods, beverages, and\ndietary supplements sold in the United States without notification to\nthe U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).<\/p>\n
According to CNN International, the practice is enabled by a\nregulatory loophole known as \u2018generally recognized as safe\u2019 (GRAS),\nwhich allows companies to determine for themselves that a substance is\nsafe to use without going through formal regulator review.<\/p>\n
\u201cFood companies decide for themselves to quietly add unreviewed\nchemicals into products, instead of following existing federal\nguidelines to ensure the ingredient is \u2018generally recognized as safe\u2019 or\nwidely recognised as safe,\u201d said Melanie Benesh, Vice President of\nGovernment Affairs at Environmental Working Group (EWG), a health and\nenvironmental advocacy organisation that conducted the investigation,\nquoted Saturday (7 March 2026).<\/p>\n
To meet GRAS standards, companies should be able to show that new\nfood ingredients are safe through broadly accepted scientific evidence\navailable to the public. Notifying the FDA of such safety data is a\ncommon practice to ensure regulatory compliance. However, the step is\nvoluntary, so manufacturers can legally determine that their products\nare safe.<\/p>\n
\u201cProducers are now routinely exploiting this GRAS loophole - thus\nincreasingly becoming \u2018generally recognized as secret\u2019 rather than\n\u2018generally recognized as safe\u2019,\u201d Benesh said.<\/p>\n
The EWG investigation identified 49 chemicals used by industry in\naround 4,000 products listed in the USDA\u2019s FoodData Central database,\nwhich provides public information on nutrition and food ingredients.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause the government has never reviewed these chemicals, consumers\nhave no way of knowing whether these ingredients are safe or pose health\nrisks that are not yet known,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Mathilde Touvier, Director of Research at the French National\nInstitute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Paris, said the\nGRAS loophole is legal in the United States, but difficult to justify\nscientifically or ethically.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is very troubling because companies are allowed to determine\nfor themselves that the ingredients they use are GRAS, given the clear\nfinancial conflicts of interest,\u201d said Touvier, who was not involved in\nthe EWG\u2019s investigation.<\/p>\n
\u201cDecisions about the safety of food chemicals should be based on\nindependent assessments by public health authorities.\u201d<\/p>\n
The American Beverage Association and Consumer Brands Association,\nrepresenting food and beverage manufacturers, did not respond when asked\nfor comment.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Sarah Gallo, Senior Vice President of the Consumer Brands\nAssociation, said her organisation supports GRAS reform through federal\nlegislation that sets national standards on the safety and transparency\nof food ingredients.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe support reforming GRAS as part of that legislation,\u201d Gallo said,\nadding that the United States has one of the safest and most regulated\nfood systems in the world.<\/p>\n
Natural extracts:<\/p>\n
Of the 49 chemicals found in foods, 22 are natural extracts such as\naloe vera, cinnamon, cocoa, cranberry seed oil, grape skin, green coffee\nbean, hemp, lemon balm, and mushrooms.<\/p>\n
Biochemist and author of the EWG\u2019s investigative report, Maricel\nMaffini, said natural extracts can yield highly concentrated new\ncompounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you start pulling substances from grape skins, aloe vera, or\nmushrooms, for instance, you could obtain extracts or mixtures of\nsubstances that are highly concentrated,\u201d Maffini said.<\/p>\n
She argued that such extracts should be tested first if they are to\nbe used in products sold to the public.<\/p>\n
The report also found green tea extracts that have not been reviewed\nby the FDA used in 901 products, including granola, energy bars, candy,\nice cream, soft drinks, tea, drinking water, and seafood products.<\/p>\n
Maffini explained there is a big difference between antioxidants from\nhome-brewed green tea and green tea antioxidant extracts processed in a\nlaboratory.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s no longer green tea. It is a new substance that has been\nsynthetically extracted to increase its availability as an antioxidant,\u201d\nshe said.<\/p>\n
She added that high-concentration green tea extracts are known to be\nlinked to estrogen hormone disruption and liver damage. There have been\nat least around 100 cases of serious liver damage in people who consumed\nconcentrated green tea extract sold for weight loss or muscle\nrecovery.<\/p>\n
Aloe vera and mushroom cases:<\/p>\n
The investigation also found aloe vera extracts that have not\nundergone FDA review used in more than 450 products, mainly fruit and\nvegetable juice drinks.<\/p>\n
However, whole-leaf aloe vera extract that has not been purified is\nknown to cause cancer. The FDA has even banned the use of one form of\naloe vera in laxatives due to concerns about cancer risk in animals and\nkidney failure in humans.<\/p>\n
The U.S. National Library of Medicine notes that herbal products are\noften considered safe because they are natural, though this is not\nalways the case. Some herbs can even interact with prescription or\nover-the-counter medicines.<\/p>\n
Touvier says the health impact of a substance depends on its form,\ndose, and interactions with other health conditions. She cites\nbeta-carotene, safe in natural amounts from fruits and vegetables, but\nhigh-dose consumption can increase the risk of lung cancer, especially\namong smokers.<\/p>\n
Also, mushroom extracts that have never been reported to the FDA<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/revealed-american-companies-secretly-add-chemicals-to-food-1772903032", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }