gras

IPA/ɡɹˈɑːz/
KK[ɡrˈæs]IPA/ɡrˈæs/

gras — noun

1. A status given by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to food ingredients that

1.nounC1
Definition

A status given by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to food ingredients that experts generally agree are safe for their intended use, based either on a long history of use in food or on publicly available scientific research — meaning the substance does not require separate government approval before being marketed.

Example

The FDA granted GRAS status to the new food additive after reviewing the safety data.

GRAS + noun: GRAS status

Noa's company submitted a GRAS notification for their plant-based protein ingredient.

verb collocation: submit a GRAS notification

Common collocations
  • GRAS status
  • GRAS notification
  • GRAS list
  • GRAS criteria
  • GRAS determination
  • GRAS exemption
  • classified as GRAS
  • recognized as GRAS

Grammar Patterns

GRAS + noun (status, criteria, list, notification)

classified / recognized as GRAS

Usage Note

Frequently used attributively before nouns such as status, notification, list, determination, and exemption. The term is specific to U.S. food regulation; other countries use different safety frameworks for food additives.

Common Mistakes

This additive is GRAS confirmed by the FDA.
This additive has GRAS status from the FDA.
GRAS is a classification, not a verb; use it as a noun modifier.

Etymology

English

GRAS is an acronym formed from the first letter of each word in 'Generally Recognized As Safe.' The term was introduced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the 1958 Food Additives Amendment to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. It created a category of substances that food manufacturers could use without pre-market approval, as long as the safety of the substance was widely accepted by qualified experts.