The FDA has a petition pending before it. It is FDA Docket No. 2006P-0158. The petition was filed on April 7, 2006, by Citizens for Health. The FDA acknowledged the petition the day it was filed. The petition asked that the FDA revoke its approval of sucralose (also known as Splenda).
According to FDA regulations, the FDA must respond within 180 days of receipt of a petition by either approving or denying the petition (in whole or in part), or provide a tentative response that indicates why the FDA has been unable to reach a decision. The FDA has done neither—they’ve failed to follow their own rules. The petition nears its three year anniversary.
Read the Citizens for Health petition (click the PDF link for “Citizens for Health.”) In the words of Citizens for Health, “The FDA is putting American citizens at risk. Here’s a specific opportunity to prove our mettle, and hold the FDA accountable. This is the chief enforcer of our nation’s food and drug laws that we’re talking about here. And what’s more, this isn’t even controversial—all we’re doing is demanding that the FDA do its job and follow its own rules.”