- On February 17, 2026, California introduced AB 2034, in the latest state-level action addressing food ingredients generally recognized as safe (GRAS).
- If passed, manufacturers of packaged food products sold in California would be required to provide evidence to the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) showing that any color additive, food additive, or dietary ingredient introduced after 1958 that has not undergone a pre-market review by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is safe. CDPH would post these notices to a public database. Manufacturers would also have to provide CDPH with a full list of ingredients for a product if they are not already listed on the package (e.g., incidental additives and other ingredients exempt from labeling under 21 CFR 101.100). CDPH would be required to review evidence on at least ten food substances on the market every three years and prohibit the use of “unsafe and poorly tested” chemicals in foods sold in California.
- The bill was sponsored by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which stated that the “groundbreaking bill would have national implications, given the longstanding failure of the FDA to protect consumers from unsafe and poorly tested food chemicals.” The bill’s author, Assemblymember Dawn Addis, added that the bill would “close federal loopholes,” in reference to the GRAS program.
- As we’ve previously reported, the issue of GRAS substances has been the center of recent state and federal-level action. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appeared on 60 Minutes just this week, along with former FDA Commissioner Dr. David Kessler, to discuss plans to reform the so-called “GRAS loophole.”
- Keller and Heckman will continue to report on developments regarding GRAS designations.
