FDA investigation into Diamond Shruumz-brand edibles finds illegal psychoactive substances; consumers in 32 states report seizures and severe side effects.
The way a food tastes and smells is important when it comes to choosing what we eat. Food companies engineer foods to ensure they taste and smell appealing by adding flavors and spices. These can be natural substances or chemicals synthesized in a laboratory. They can be a single ingredient—like vanilla extract, dried basil, or a specific chemical—or blends of many ingredients formulated and developed by professional flavorists.
A loophole in the process for evaluating food ingredients—paired with vague labels for flavor and lax oversight—means almost no one knows what we're eating.
The FDA's review of new food ingredients has a big legal loophole—and food and supplement companies are taking advantage of it at the expense of public health.
Food AdditivesThomas Galligan, PhD, Jensen N. Jose, Adrienne Crezo
Federal court concluded FDA could permit manufacturers to self-certify that chemical additives used in food they manufactured are safe, but acknowledged conflict-of-interest concerns about this practice and noted that the remedy to fix this situation lies with Congress.
Americans deserve food free from synthetic additives known to be carcinogens. The decision today by the Food and Drug Administration to remove seven such carcinogenic synthetic flavorings, variously used in drinks, candy, ice cream, and other foods, from its list of approved food additives is an important victory for consumer confidence.
