Tell the FDA that toxic chemicals don’t belong in our food

Subject Line: Urgent action needed to protect food

Body: Dear FDA Officials,

I am emailing you for one simple reason: I believe that toxic chemicals don’t belong in our foods.

• I’m writing to urge you to protect our food from chemical contamination that endangers public health every single day by taking the following actions:

  • Restore direct line-authority to a Deputy Commissioner over Center for Food Safety and Nutrition and include food responsibilities of the Office of Regulatory Affairs.
  • Close the “generally recognized as safe loophole” that industry uses to self-certify safety of new additives in secret.
  • Begin the process of modernizing the FDA’s scientific approach to assess safety of chemicals in food.
  • Direct staff to make a decision on pending petitions addressing cumulative effects of chemicals added to food, banning ortho-phthalates in food contact articles, and banning lead as an additive to food handling equipment.
  • Resolve two lawsuits regarding perchlorate in food contact articles and a flawed rule that allows industry to make safety decisions for “generally recognized as safe” or GRAS substances in secret without notifying the FDA.
  • Revoke existing approvals for per- and poly-fluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) in food packaging and food service ware.
  • Create an office to reassess the safety of existing chemical additives to food to complement the Office of Food Additive Safety which is focused on new chemical safety reviews. Seek funding to support the office.

   

  Can I count on you to act now to modernize and strengthen the FDA’s safety evaluation process for food and cosmetics chemicals, and take the bold actions listed above to protect our food and the public’s health?