The US Food and Drug Administration is proposing to let companies add some chemicals directly to food without a safety review. The change would expand its threshold of regulation exemption, which applies to substances that are not carcinogenic and fall below a concentration limit.
Currently, that exemption covers chemicals in materials that touch food, such as packaging and processing equipment, at levels below 0.5 parts per billion. The proposal would extend it to uses including flavourings, preservatives, emulsifiers and processing aids.
Campaigners warn that some hormone-disrupting chemicals linked to harm in children may be dangerous even below that limit. An existing exemption permits the use of perchlorate in grain bags; its presence in children’s cereal rose sharply, and advocates say the chemical could cause brain damage. The proposed expansion is included in an FDA rule concerning a separate exemption for food ingredients.
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