GRAS

American  

[gras] / græs /

1. generally recognized as safe: a status label assigned by the FDA to a listing of substances GRAS list not known to be hazardous to health and thus approved for use in foods.

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Etymology

Origin of GRAS

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Further, the SEC monitors market practices through examinations and collaboration with FINRA, targeting the misconduct that led to GRAS.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

For decades, the FDA’s “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, designation has allowed food makers to decide for themselves whether certain novel ingredients are safe or not — even without providing evidence to agency scientists.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 4, 2024

But the agency said in a letter to the Impossible Foods start-up that it determined “soy leghemoglobin GRAS, or generally recognized as safe, in its most recent review,” CNBC’s Ariel Shapiro reports.

From Washington Post • Jul. 25, 2018

The law allows food companies to bypass a lengthy government-led safety review if they can establish that their ingredients are “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS, for their intended use.

From Time • Jun. 9, 2015

He added that FDA would benefit from having access to the scientific evidence companies use to determine that an ingredient is GRAS.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 14, 2013