Just a Spoonful of Sugar Will Land You Six Feet Underground: Should the Food and Drug Administration Revoke Added Sugar's GRAS Status?

January 1, 2015 - Card, Melissa M. and John F. Abela

This article assesses whether FDA should combat the health adversities stemming from added sugar consumption through issuing a Federal Register notice stating that added sugar is not GRAS. Part I explains the history of food additives. Part II explains why natural sugar was necessary for human evolution, and why added sugar poses a threat to modem consumers' health. Part III describes the current standard FDA uses to determine whether a substance is GRAS. Lastly, Part IV demonstrates that added sugar no longer meets FD A's GRAS standard. This article advocates that FDA should issue a Federal Register notice determining that added sugar is not GRAS because there is reasonable certainty amongst scientists that added sugar is unsafe based on its intended use.

Published in Food and Drug Law Journal, Volume 70, Number 1, 2015.

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