"NEW YORK -- All of the notices U.S. regulators received to vouch for the safety of common food additives between 1997 and 2012 were submitted by people who had a vested interest in the outcome of those assessments, according to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine on Wednesday."

"The analysis found that all of the 451 notifications voluntarily submitted to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during that time were made by people who had relationships with manufacturers of food additives, which include salt, trans fats and artificial flavors and sweeteners.

"If the company makes the decisions or picks the people, there are a lot of possibilities for undue influence," said Thomas Neltner, the study's lead author from The Pew Charitable Trusts in Washington, D.C."

Andrew M. Seaman reports for Reuters August 7, 2013.

SEE ALSO:

"Conflicts of Interest in Approvals of Additives to Food Determined to Be Generally Recognized as Safe" (JAMA Network)

"You Think The FDA Gets To Approve All Food Additives as Safe? Not a Chance." (Food Politics/Marion Nestle)

"Widespread Financial Conflicts Found Among Food Additive Experts" (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/Dogged blog)

Source: Reuters, 08/08/2013