FDA Plans Public Meeting on Food Chemical Safety

In March, the US Food and Drug Administration Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods Jim Jones discussed what the FDA’s plan is for food chemical safety during an Alliance for Food Safety webinar.

The agency is developing a systematic process for conducting post-market assessments of chemicals in food. This includes ingredients considered generally recognized as safe (GRAS), food additives, color additives, food contact substances, and contaminants. This is intended to guide FDA’s post-market assessment work going forward and includes a transparent process for identifying and prioritizing food chemicals currently in the market for safety reviews.

“Now and in the future, enhancing food chemical safety is one of the ways we are working toward ensuring food is a source of wellness,” said Jones during the webinar. And while the vision is already in place, he added, once the new structure is in place, the agency will have an organizational framework that supports and facilitates a systematic risk management approach to achieving it.

Today the agency invites the public to register for the public meeting on the Development of an Enhanced Systematic Process for FDA’s Post-Market Assessment of Chemicals in Food.

The meeting, to be held on Sept. 25, 2024, from 12:30-4:30 PM EDT, is in-person at the FDA White Oak Campus in Silver Spring, MD with the option for virtual participation.

The purpose of the meeting is for FDA to share information about the development of its enhanced systematic process for post-market assessment of chemicals in food including considerations for identifying and prioritizing food chemicals currently in the market for safety reviews.

The meeting will also include presentations from stakeholders as they share their perspectives on this topic.

In addition, industry and consumer advocacy experts, government officials, research organizations, and more will have the opportunity to learn more, ask questions, and provide open public comment to address specific questions posed by the FDA.

Comments must be submitted on or before Dec. 6, 2024, and can be done so on the registration page. Submit questions for consideration during the FDA panel session here. 

FDA public meeting registration will remain open for in-person attendance through Sept. 20, and for virtual attendance through Sept. 24.