Food 'Safety' is a Profit-Driven Illusion
Newsweek reports that former FDA Commissioner David Kessler, who served under Presidents Bush and Clinton, is sounding alarms about the 'Generally Recognized As Safe' (GRAS) loophole. This system permits food manufacturers to deem their own additives safe for consumption without direct FDA approval. Kessler’s public concern, articulated over two decades after the 1999 expansion of GRAS, highlights
what many have quietly understood: corporate discretion, not public health, dictates what ends up in American diets. This isn't a new oversight; it’s a deliberate policy choice rooted in the 1958 Food Additives Amendment, which effectively outsourced initial safety assessments to the very companies profiting from their use. Fast forward to 2024, and the data underscores the cost: the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention reports that over 42% of U.S. adults, earning billions for pharma and healthcare, suffer from obesity, often linked to processed foods laden with these 'self-certified' ingredients. One might wonder why government agencies, established to protect citizens, consistently offload their core responsibilities to for-profit entities. Such arrangements reveal a stark double
standard. While other nations like the EU maintain far more stringent pre-market approval processes for food additives, the U.S. consumer is left hoping that corporate science, paid for by corporate interests, aligns with their well-being. The financial incentives are clear: by avoiding a costly and time-consuming federal review, manufacturers save operational expenses, boost profit margins, and