Healthcare
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Healthcare
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FDA's food ingredient review rule is coming |
In his quest to overhaul the food system, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is poised to propose closing a loophole that allows food and dietary supplement companies to self-attest that new ingredients are safe.
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Last year, Kennedy directed the Food and Drug Administration to investigate revising its Substances Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) rule, which allows companies to bypass traditional government notification and review.
The GRAS designation was intended to allow common food ingredients—like vinegar, flour, baking soda or standard spices—to bypass safety reviews and become available to all food manufacturers.
But companies have been taking advantage after FDA created what is known as the “GRAS loophole,” allowing a company to self-certify its ingredients were GRAS, and then voluntarily inform the FDA that it had done so.
FDA is expected to propose, as early as Monday, making notification of GRAS submissions mandatory for most substances.
The proposed rule cleared the White House regulatory review last week.
“For far too long, ingredient manufacturers and sponsors have exploited a loophole that has allowed new ingredients and chemicals, often with unknown safety data, to be introduced into the U.S. food supply without notification to the FDA or the public,” Kennedy said in March 2025 when he directed FDA to revise the rule.
The proposal represents a significant effort by the Trump administration to take a food safety goal championed by Kennedy’s Make America Healthy Again movement and turn it into regulatory action.
But there are going to be numerous hurdles to turning a proposal into final action, and food industry opposition is likely to be intense.
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Welcome to The Hill’s Healthcare newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.
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How policy will be impacting the healthcare sector this week and beyond:
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), is urging senators to not support an amendment that would allow a federal ban on most hemp-derived products to take effect in November. In a Friday letter, Oz noted he had “grave concerns” about the amendment from Sen. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), which would strip from a government funding bill a one-month delay of the ban. “Passage of this amendment …
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Frequent marijuana users are increasingly turning up in emergency rooms with a condition that causes severe bouts of nausea and vomiting, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The condition, known as cannabis hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), is associated with habitual use of marijuana. Researchers said emergency room visits involving CHS were recorded at higher rates after the condition …
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Michigan health officials eased the state’s guidance on lettuce consumption on Thursday amid declining numbers of cyclosporiasis cases. State residents are now advised to follow “routine guidance” when consuming produce, following earlier “broad, precautionary recommendations” against the purchase and consumption of bagged salad mixes during the height of the outbreak. The state has reported 12,485 cases since …
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Branch out with a different read:
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Republicans vote down farm bill amendment enabling lawsuits against pesticide companies, a blow to MAHA
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Senate Republicans on Thursday voted down an amendment that sought to open up Americans’ ability to sue pesticide companies over the health impacts of their products. The amendment to the Senate farm bill failed in a party-line vote. While the measure was backed by all of the Senate Agriculture Committee’s Democrats and none of its Republicans, it’s also a blow to pesticide critics in the right-wing “Make America …
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Local and state headlines on healthcare:
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- Massachusetts health systems test new hospital-to-home initiative (Modern Healthcare)
- Missouri and Kansas can expect another double-digit bump in ACA marketplace premiums (The Beacon)
- Oregon universal health care board punts single-payer report over funding uncertainty (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
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Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets:
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- One year after shooting, CDC workers say they still feel like targets (CNN)
- NIH plans to block international researchers on visas from accessing key funding avenue (Stat)
- Trump's gain-of-function policy may suppress key pandemic research (MedPage Today)
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Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill:
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You’re all caught up. See you next week!
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