The FDA’s Human Foods Program recently released its 2026 Priority Deliverables, which focus heavily on chemical ingredient safety.
We’ve gone through each priority and connected it to the work CRIS that has already published, so you don’t have to go looking. Where information gaps exist, we will focus on filling those spaces with evidence-based information. As always, if there is a specific topic you’d like to learn more about, please email us or submit your idea to us at go.msu.edu/cris-idea.
Read the FDA’s full 2026 deliverables
Jump to:
- GRAS Reform — Requiring Mandatory GRAS Notifications
- Post-Market Reviews — Safety Reassessments: Phthalates, BHA, BHT, Propylparaben
- Microplastics — Detecting & Quantifying Microplastics in Food
- Closer to Zero — Action Levels for Heavy Metals in Baby & Toddler Foods
- Color Additives — Phasing Out Petroleum Dyes, Expediting Natural Alternatives
- Dietary Supplements — NDI Guidance & Oversight Modernization
- Labeling — Caffeine Labeling Guidelines
- Front of Package Labeling — Moving Toward a Final Rule
- Added Sugar & Sodium — New Reduction Strategies
GRAS Reform — Requiring Mandatory GRAS Notifications
The FDA plans to publish a proposed regulation requiring companies to submit GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) notices for all new substances with the goal of closing a loophole where companies could self-affirm safety without notifying the FDA.
CRIS Coverage: GRAS Blog Series
CRIS’s ongoing blog series on GRAS — what it means, how substances earn the designation, and why the voluntary system has long been a subject of debate.
Post-Market Reviews — Safety Reassessments: Phthalates, BHA, BHT, Propylparaben
The FDA plans to conduct systematic reassessments of widely-used food chemicals, including preservatives BHA and BHT, propylparaben, and phthalates (plasticizers), beginning with those of greatest public concern.
CRIS Coverage: Preservatives Blog Series
CRIS’s preservatives series covers BHA, BHT, and similar additives, explaining how safety determinations are made and putting media claims in context.
CRIS Coverage: Endocrine Blog Series
This series takes a high-level look at endocrine-disrupting compounds, which are a public concern on specific chemical ingredients, including phthalates.
CRIS Coverage: Understanding Risk Assessment Approaches Blog Series
This series explains the different approaches regulators use to determine whether an ingredient is safe.
Microplastics — Detecting & Quantifying Microplastics in Food
The FDA plans to fund research to develop accurate, reproducible methods for detecting microplastics in human food, which is a prerequisite for any future regulatory action.
CRIS Coverage: Microplastic and Plastic Blog Series
CRIS explores plastics, including microplastics and nanoplastics, focusing on what the evidence currently shows and discusses what we don’t yet know.
CRIS Research: Seafood & Microplastics Safety
A published review examining whether eating seafood meaningfully increases microplastic exposure.
Closer to Zero — Action Levels for Heavy Metals in Baby & Toddler Foods
The FDA’s Closer to Zero initiative plans to advance action levels of heavy metals in foods for infants and young children, plus new guidance on preventive controls across all foods.
CRIS Coverage: Metals in Foods and Products
CRIS provides evidence-based context on how heavy metals enter the food supply and what exposure to them means for us.
CRIS Research: Human-based Model of Developmental Immunotoxicology
CRIS researchers show that a human-cell model can further help researchers evaluate the safety of chemical ingredients and metals on the developing human immune system, without using laboratory animals.
Color Additives — Phasing Out Petroleum Dyes, Expediting Natural Alternatives
The FDA plans to publish draft guidance on fruit- and vegetable-derived juice colorants, complete reviews of additional natural colors, and prioritize new natural color submissions as petroleum-based dyes are phased out.
CRIS Coverage: Food Dyes
CRIS examines food dyes and breaks down the differences and safety of synthetic, natural, and artificial food color additives.
CRIS Media: Dr. Zagorski on FDA Labeling Changes and Food Dyes
CRIS researcher Dr. Zagorski clarifies misconceptions about natural vs. synthetic color additives and explains that safety depends on dose and exposure, not origin.
Dietary Supplements — NDI Guidance & Oversight Modernization
The FDA plans to release the New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) Notification Process guidance to streamline the review timeline and evaluate new regulatory frameworks for the supplement industry.
CRIS Coverage: Dietary Supplements Blog Series
Covers how supplements are regulated (and where the gaps are) and what consumers should know.
Labeling — Caffeine Labeling Guidelines
The FDA plans to highlight best practices for labeling added caffeine.
CRIS Coverage: Stimulants Blog Series
CRIS covers caffeine and energy drink ingredients with a focus on risk and consumer awareness, which is directly relevant to the FDA’s upcoming caffeine labeling guidance.
CRIS Media: In the Media – Dr. Zagorski on Energy Drinks for “The New York Times”
CRIS researcher Dr. Zagorski discusses caffeine and energy drink ingredients with the New York Times.
Front of Package Labeling — Moving Toward a Final Rule
After receiving public comments, the FDA plans to synthesize feedback and prepare decision options to potentially require displaying key info like added sugar and sodium on the front of packages.
CRIS Coverage: Labels Blog Series
CRIS breaks down current food labeling from a science communication perspective, including what claims mean, how they’re regulated, and what the labels don’t tell you.
Added Sugar & Sodium — New Reduction Strategies
The FDA plans to create an added sugar reduction strategy covering industry reformulation, “low added sugar” content claims, consumer education, and menu labeling while also formally evaluating the Phase I voluntary sodium targets.
CRIS Coverage: Sweetener Blog Series
CRIS’s sweetener series covers sugar, sugar alcohols, non-nutritive sweeteners, and more.
CRIS Coverage: Sodium and Salt
CRIS shares the current understanding of sodium and salt safety.