When most people pick up a product at the grocery store, they assume the ingredients inside have been carefully reviewed for safety.
It’s a reasonable assumption.
But a recent investigation revealed something many consumers would find surprising: more than 100 chemical substances have been added to foods, drinks, and supplements in the United States without review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
As a physician who has spent more than two decades caring for patients and now focuses on helping people improve their health through food, this raises an important question:
How do ingredients enter our food supply without independent review?
The answer lies in a regulatory pathway known as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) rule.
Understanding this system can help us make better choices about what we eat and why real, whole foods still matter.
The “GRAS” Loophole
The GRAS designation was originally created decades ago to allow common ingredients with long histories of safe use, such as vinegar or salt, to be used without going through lengthy approval processes.
In theory, it made sense. In practice, however, the system allows food manufacturers to self-determine whether a new ingredient is safe.
Companies can evaluate their own data and decide that a substance is “generally recognized as safe” without notifying the FDA or submitting the ingredient for formal review.
That means a chemical compound can be added to food products without independent oversight.
While the process is technically legal, many scientists and public health experts have raised concerns about the conflict of interest inherent in allowing companies to evaluate their own ingredients.
When “Natural” Isn’t What It Seems
Another surprising finding from the investigation is that many of these substances come from ingredients consumers typically perceive as natural or healthy.
Examples include extracts from:
- green tea
- aloe vera
- mushrooms
- grape skins
- cocoa
- cinnamon
At first glance, these may sound harmless.
But there’s an important distinction that often gets lost in marketing language.
Whole foods and concentrated extracts are not the same thing.
For example, drinking a cup of green tea is very different from consuming a highly concentrated green tea extract created in a laboratory. While the tea itself may offer beneficial antioxidants, certain concentrated extracts have been linked to liver injury in some individuals.
The same principle applies to many plant compounds.
A nutrient that is beneficial when consumed as part of a whole food can behave very differently when isolated, purified, or consumed in high doses.
This is something we see frequently in nutrition science and the field of Nutritional Epidemiology.
A Real-World Example: Tara Flour
Concerns about oversight aren’t just theoretical.
In 2022, a vegetable-based meat substitute was voluntarily recalled after hundreds of consumers reported severe gastrointestinal issues, including liver and gallbladder complications.
Investigators eventually traced the problem to tara flour, an ingredient made from the seed pods of a tree known as Peruvian carob.
While a related ingredient called tara gum had been used safely in foods for years, tara flour had not been well studied as a human food ingredient.
Only after hundreds of illness complaints did regulators fully investigate the substance.
Even then, it took nearly two years for the ingredient to be removed from the GRAS list.
Cases like this highlight the importance of proactive safety review rather than reactive investigation.
Why This Matters for Public Health
The United States has one of the most complex and abundant food systems in the world.
But abundance does not automatically translate into health.
Many of the foods that rely heavily on additives and novel ingredients are also part of a category known as ultra-processed foods, products that often contain long ingredient lists, stabilizers, emulsifiers, and flavor enhancers designed to improve shelf life and taste.
Research increasingly links diets high in ultra-processed foods with higher rates of chronic conditions such as:
- obesity
- type 2 diabetes
- cardiovascular disease
- metabolic disorders
While no single additive is solely responsible for these conditions, the cumulative impact of highly processed diets is an area of growing scientific concern.
The Simpler Solution: Real Food
The good news is that protecting your health doesn’t require memorizing every possible additive.
In many cases, the simplest strategy is also the most effective:
Build meals around recognizable, minimally processed foods.
That might include foods like:
- beans
- lentils
- vegetables
- mushrooms
- whole grains
- nuts and seeds
These foods have been nourishing human populations for centuries.
They come with natural combinations of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and beneficial plant compounds that work together in ways science is still learning to fully understand.
As I often say in my work with Physician In The Kitchen®, the goal is not perfection… the goal is building a pattern of eating that supports long-term health.
What Consumers Can Do
While regulatory reform may take time, individuals can still take steps to reduce exposure to questionable ingredients.
Here are a few simple strategies:
1. Choose foods with short ingredient lists.
Fewer ingredients often mean less processing.
2. Cook more meals at home.
Preparing meals yourself gives you full control over what goes into your food.
3. Focus on whole plant foods.
Beans, lentils, vegetables, and whole grains provide nutrients without the need for additives.
4. Be cautious with “functional” or fortified foods.
Many of these products rely on isolated compounds or concentrated extracts.
5. Read labels beyond marketing claims.
Terms like “natural” or “plant-based” don’t always guarantee simplicity and health.
Food Transparency Matters
Food should nourish, energize, and support long-term well-being.
Transparency in our food system is essential for building public trust and helping people make informed choices about their health.
While regulatory systems evolve, one principle remains timeless:
The closer our food is to its natural state, the more confidently we can understand what we’re putting into our bodies.
