title: Insights on food safety evaluation: a synopsis.
abstract: The Life Sciences Research Office's Select Committee on GRAS Substances has completed a report entitled, "Insights on Food Safety Evaluation." The report, in conjunction with an earlier report of the Select Committee, reflects the opinions and experiences garnered from a decade of evaluating the health aspects of generally recognized as safe (GRAS) substances. This second report identifies and discusses the principal components of the evaluation process and offers a perception of the issues that are critical for effectively evaluating the safety of foods and other ingested substances. Specific suggestions stemming directly from the Select Committee's experience in the GRAS review are made for improvements in the safety evaluation of food ingredients. Suggestions include phaseout of the GRAS list, modification of the Delaney Clause, utilization of appropriate human testing in protocols for evaluating candidate food additives, development of improved animal tests for behavioral effects of food ingredients, and improvement in procedures for detection of hypersensitivity to food ingredients. General priorities for study of the contribution of food and food ingredients to major causes of mortality and morbidity are also discussed.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001519:Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D005503:Food Additives / Q000633:toxicity*; D005512:Food Hypersensitivity; D006801:Humans; D007880:Legislation, Drug; D012306:Risk; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D005503:Food Additives