Pennsylvania HB 1130 amends the state's food safety code to require manufacturers using GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) substances in food products sold in the state to file a detailed safety report with the Department of Agriculture. It creates a publicly searchable database so consumers can review the safety data behind these substances, with trade secrets redacted. Small businesses are exempt, as are substances already reviewed and cleared by the FDA, granted prior-sanctioned status, or in common use before 1958. The law does not ban any substance, but it requires disclosure before sale.
Why It Matters to MAHA
This bill puts MAHA's transparency principle into state law, requiring public disclosure of safety data behind GRAS substances that currently avoid rigorous, independent review. Families deserve to know what's in their food and what evidence backs its safety, not just take a manufacturer's word for it. Rather than banning ingredients, full disclosure empowers consumers and the market to drive safer food choices. By holding GRAS determinations to real public scrutiny, Pennsylvania gives families the information they need to make their own health decisions.