On May 15, 2024, the FDA posted on its website its determination that tara flour in human food does not meet the Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) standard and is an unapproved food additive. The FDA must authorize any ingredient used or intended for use in food for use as a food additive unless that use is GRAS. An unapproved food additive is deemed to be unsafe under the FD&C Act. In 2022, Daily Harvest used tara flour in a leek and lentil crumble product associated with roughly 400 adverse event reports. The firm took prompt action to voluntarily recall the product and conduct its root cause analysis, during which it identified tara flour as a possible contributor to the illnesses. To date, the FDA has found no evidence that tara flour caused the outbreak; however, it did prompt the agency to evaluate the regulatory status of this food ingredient. The FDA’s evaluation revealed insufficient data on the use of tara flour in food or a history of its safe use, so GRAS should be considered. @ https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-update-post-market-assessment-tara-flour
