Jeremy Lesh is a former Legal Reader general staff writer. In addition to publishing several academic and mainstream articles, Jeremy also conducts social research for the University of Michigan and Amazon Web Services.


Food Safety Experts have done What with Big Tobacco?

In a landmark investigation released this week, the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) uncovered the alarmingly small and insular circle of experts who are used by food manufacturers to determine if a new ingredient is “Generally Regarded As Safe,” or GRAS. The investigation discovered that at least one of 10 particular consultants participated in over


Is the GRAS Food Safety process a Racket?

A 1958 law offers food companies who want to market new ingredients in their products a way to bypass extensive and costly FDA safety testing. The law provides the option for companies to demonstrate that the ingredient in question has been deemed “Generally Regarded As Safe” (GRAS) by a consensus panel of scientists and experts.