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Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7291

Rep. Lawler's Bill Would Force Review of Pre-2000 Food Additives Deemed 'Generally Recognized As Safe'

GRAS Oversight and Transparency Act

about 2 months ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

House
Senate
President
Law

Key Points

  • This bill, introduced by Representative Lawler, creates a new federal board to re-examine food ingredients that companies labeled as 'Generally Recognized As Safe' before the year 2000. Many of these substances were added to food based on the companies' own safety conclusions rather than a formal government review.
  • Food manufacturers would be required to give the government a full list of these older ingredients within 90 days. Companies that fail to report their ingredients could face expensive fines or be forced to stop using those substances in their products immediately.
  • The new board will rank ingredients into three groups based on priority, looking at the most potentially risky substances first. They are required to finish the first round of safety reviews within two years and complete all reviews within ten years.
  • If the board finds that an ingredient has not been proven safe, the government can revoke its 'safe' status. Manufacturers would then have 180 days to provide new scientific evidence to prove the ingredient is safe before the government requires them to stop using it and recall products from store shelves.
  • This policy aims to close a loophole that has allowed thousands of substances to remain in the food supply for decades without modern safety testing. It ensures that older additives meet the same scientific standards as new ones being introduced today.
HealthcareAgriculture

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions
Jan 30, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Jan 30, 2026

Introduced in House

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

90 days after enactment

Food manufacturers must report all pre-2000 GRAS designations to the new Board

Companies have just 90 days after enactment to disclose every older food ingredient they classified as safe on their own, or face fines and potential bans on those ingredients.

Within 2 years of enactment

Highest-priority (Tier 1) safety reviews completed and reported

The Board publishes its findings on the most potentially risky food ingredients, which could lead to some substances being pulled from grocery store shelves if they can't be proven safe.

10 years after enactment

All GRAS reviews completed; Board terminates

Every pre-2000 food ingredient self-designated as safe will have been reviewed by the government. The Board shuts down after 10 years, but any revocations of unsafe ingredients remain in effect permanently.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

GRAS Oversight and Transparency Act

Bill NumberHR 7291
Congress119th Congress
ChamberHouse of Representatives
Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.