Ensuring Safe and Toxic-Free Foods Act of 2025

Key Points

• The bill overhauls how food chemicals are approved by ending the ability of companies to self-certify ingredients as safe (GRAS) without FDA oversight. Going forward, manufacturers must submit detailed safety data to the FDA, including proof the substance is not carcinogenic or reproductively toxic.
• The FDA would be required to reassess at least 10 food chemicals or classes of chemicals every 3 years to ensure they remain safe based on current science. This creates an ongoing review cycle for chemicals already in the food supply.
• Any substance found to cause cancer, reproductive harm, or developmental toxicity would be automatically excluded from being classified as safe for food use. This includes chemicals that interfere with hormones or harm children's development.
• Experts who evaluate whether food chemicals are safe must not have financial conflicts of interest. All safety data submitted to the FDA would be posted publicly and open for at least 60 days of public comment before a decision is made.
• The FDA must review at least 50 GRAS submissions per year and issue written responses stating whether it agrees or disagrees with a manufacturer's safety determination. This replaces the current system where the FDA can simply not respond.