San Francisco UPF Lawsuit #9: “Generally Recognized as Safe” (GRAS) In the historic San Francisco lawsuit against Big Food, the GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) designation is the ultimate battlefield. To the food giants, GRAS is a legal “shield.” To the City of San Francisco, it is a dangerous “loophole” that has allowed a chemical […]
San Francisco UPF Lawsuit #8: The Bliss Point The “Bliss Point” is not just a culinary term; it is a precise mathematical and psychophysical formula. It represents the moment the food industry shifted from being a provider of nourishment to an industry of engineered “craveability.” This is the point where food chemists discovered how to […]
The GRAS framework was built to evaluate isolated, time‑tested substances, not industrial systems made from dozens of interacting components. Source In the News Young Adults Face Prediabetes Risk from UPF Consumption A USC Study from the Keck School of Medicine links ultra-processed food intake to blood sugar dysregulation in youth. Researchers tracked 85 young adults […]
The FDA comment period closes January 26, 2026. Will 70-year-old safety standards finally catch up to 21st-century food engineering? Source UPF In the News Virginia Tech Research Links Sugary Sodas to Poor Brain Health Outcomes Over Time Virginia Tech researchers analyzing long-term dietary patterns found that consumption of sugary sodas, a category of ultra-processed beverages, […]
GRAS works exactly as intended. That’s the problem. The framework was originally created to evaluate isolated, time-tested substances – salt, vinegar, basil – not modern industrial formulations made from dozens of interacting components. From an engineering standpoint, GRAS tests ingredients one at a time. And ultra-processed food behaves as a combined system. Those are not […]
When food is engineered for consumption velocity (Bliss Point) rather than nutrition, choice becomes an illusion. UPF In the News Metabolic Damage Hiding in Plain Sight New research from USC confirms that young adults face hidden metabolic damage and prediabetes risks even when caloric intake appears balanced, driven specifically by processing intensity. While policy discussions […]
The Wild West of Food Safety in America For nearly 70 years, the United States has relied on a regulatory construct called GRAS – “Generally Recognized as Safe” – to govern thousands of chemicals in the US food supply. In 1958, Congress created the GRAS exemption in the Food Additives Amendment to protect the public […]
WISEcode believes food transparency should be unflinching – empowering every shopper to make informed choices, not just react to clever marketing or industry spin. Here’s why the U.S. GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) system is more of a strategic loophole for brands than a beacon of consumer safety, especially compared to global standards like those […]
