Editing Generally recognized as safe (section)

{{Short description|United States government designation for food additives}}
{{Redirect|GRAS||Gras (disambiguation)}}
{{Distinguish|Generally recognized as safe and effective}}
{{food safety}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2023}}
'''Generally recognized as safe''' ('''GRAS''') is a [[United States]] [[Food and Drug Administration (United States)|Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) designation that a chemical or substance added to food is considered safe by experts under the conditions of its intended use.<ref name="gras-how">{{cite web |title=How U.S. FDA's GRAS Notification Program Works (original January 2006; updated) |url=https://www.fda.gov/food/generally-recognized-safe-gras/how-us-fdas-gras-notification-program-works |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190926011759/https://www.fda.gov/food/generally-recognized-safe-gras/how-us-fdas-gras-notification-program-works |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 September 2019 |publisher=US Food and Drug Administration |access-date=30 January 2021 |date=9 February 2018}}</ref> An ingredient with a GRAS designation is exempted from the usual [[Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act]] (FFDCA) [[food additive]] tolerance requirements.<ref name="GRASfda">{{cite web|url=https://www.fda.gov/food/food-ingredients-packaging/generally-recognized-safe-gras|title=Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) |publisher=US Food and Drug Administration|date=6 September 2019 |access-date=30 January 2021}}</ref> The concept of food additives being "generally recognized as safe" was first described in the [[Food Additives Amendment of 1958]], and all additives introduced after this time had to be evaluated by new standards.<ref name=gras-how/><ref name=gras-history/> Some examples of substances recognized as GRAS include ascorbic acid (vitamin C), citric acid, and salt, which are all commonly used in food preservation and flavoring. <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Program |first=Human Foods |date=2024-09-06 |title=Understanding How the FDA Regulates Food Additives and GRAS Ingredients |url=https://www.fda.gov/food/food-additives-and-gras-ingredients-information-consumers/understanding-how-fda-regulates-food-additives-and-gras-ingredients#:~:text=Some%20examples%20of%20GRAS%20ingredients,the%20FDA's%20GRAS%20Notification%20Program. |journal=FDA |language=en}}</ref>The FDA list of GRAS notices is updated approximately each month, as of 2021.<ref name=fda/>