Illinois Now Wants Another Food Category Banned by the FDA

Many believe that some of the food we eat is not really safe and that's especially true of heavily-processed items. Illinois wants the FDA to do something about it and they want another food category looked at by the feds.

I received an email press release today from the office of Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias. It's a request that the FDA take a look at a food group that most of us likely won't recognize, but it's a real factor in the food that is made and sold to us.

What food category does Illinois want the FDA to rethink?

They're known as the GRAS or "Generally Recognized As Safe" and the Illinois Secretary of State says that food companies are allowed to make this judgement which infers a conflict of interest. He wants the Food and Drug Administration to consider regulating the "generally recognized as safe" food additives to determine if they're what is responsible for organ failure especially in children.

The press release also points to past additives that were approved, but new technology has proven them to be harmful as evidence that there needs to be a better system for reviewing the food we eat to make sure it's truly safe for consumption.

The state of Illinois recently announced the ban of the sale and use of fluorescent bulbs that will be deployed over the next few years. It looks like their efforts on food safety could lead to more bans of what is on your dinner table sooner rather than later.