At least 111 substances of unknown safety have been added to American foods and supplements — without the FDA ever being told.
That's the finding from a March 2026 investigation by CNN and the Environmental Working Group. The chemicals aren't on any FDA-approved list. They weren't reviewed. Companies simply decided they were safe — and started using them.
BREAKDOWN:
This is legal. That's the problem.
A 1958 law created a category called "Generally Recognized as Safe" - GRAS - for ingredients with a long history of safe use, like salt and vinegar. But over decades, food and chemical companies stretched the category into something its authors never intended: a self-certification system. Today, a company can declare a brand-new ingredient GRAS using its own scientists, with no requirement to notify the FDA. They're allowed to keep the decision entirely confidential.
The results are staggering: nearly 99% of new chemicals added to the U.S. food supply since 2000 were approved not by the FDA, but by the industry itself. The FDA formally reviewed only 10 new substances over that entire period.
Green tea extracts are a case study in what can go wrong. Despite never being reviewed by the FDA, they appear in at least 901 food and supplement products — granola bars, candy, ice cream, sodas, seafood. In 2022, a frozen vegetable-based meat substitute using a never-reviewed ingredient was recalled after 470 people reported gastrointestinal illness, liver damage, and gallbladder problems.
WHAT TO DO:
The GRAS system isn't going to fix itself anytime soon - but you can use available tools to shop around it. The EWG Food Scores database at ewg.org/foodscores flags additives with limited safety data and is searchable by product or ingredient. For supplements specifically, third-party testing is your best signal: look for NSF International, USP, or Informed Sport certification on the label. Companies aren't required to disclose self-GRAS decisions on packaging, so these independent badges are often the only verification available.
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The Tox Report is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with any food, pharmaceutical, or supplement company. Content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.