Key FDA Food Safety Terms You Need to Know
Food product and ingredient companies continually strive to reach the highest standards in quality and safety for their consumers. In this quest, they encounter many terms that can sound similar but have very different meanings. To propel food production toward food safety regulation compliance, it is necessary to understand these similar food safety terms.
What does it mean to be FDA-compliant? What's the difference between food grade vs. food-safe? And how is a product classified as generally recognized as safe? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the right source to consult for answers to all of these questions.
The FDA is the regulatory body responsible for protecting public health by following The Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The CFR covers everything from elections, the treasury, and highways, to the postal service. Title 21 of the CFR relates to Food and Drugs and is managed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Of the 1400 plus regulations of title 21, regulations 100 to 199 relate directly to Food for Human Consumption.
The FDA states that it is the manufacturer's responsibility to ensure that all ingredients are of food-grade purity and comply with specifications and standards. However, the FDA does not undertake the testing. They review the scientific evidence obtained through food safety testing labs hired (such as Eurofins) to meet and exceed compliance testing.
FDA-Compliant
To be FDA-compliant is to meet the standards set out by the FDA. This relates to food and food production and all materials that come into contact with food ingredients. It encompasses everything from at-home cooking utensils to gaskets and tank linings in food processing plants, as well as food packaging materials.
Manufacturers are the responsible party that must ensure that foods and materials are FDA-compliant. They must submit a premarket approval application to help the FDA determine that the product's benefits outweigh the known risks for its intended use. FDA experts review scientifically obtained laboratory and clinical testing done by manufacturers to determine if a food product or material is FDA-compliant.
Food additives fall under this procedure. A food additive would include preservatives, sweeteners, nutrients, flavor enhancers, and colors, as examples.
Food Grade
To be considered a food-grade material, the material needs to be either safe for human consumption or safe to be in direct contact with food products. Food-grade plastics, for example, are used throughout the manufacturing and packaging of food products. These types of plastic products need to remain within their recommended safe temperature range. There may also be limits on what types of food they can be in contact with. High acid foods, for instance, may alter the food-grade plastics' integrity.
An ingredient follows the premarket approval process to achieve food-grade status. The ingredient or food contact surface will have to pass scientific review of upholding its integrity during sanitization and cleaning processes as well.
Food Safe
A food-safe material is a material that is beyond food grade. That means the material will not create a food safety hazard. Food-safe materials can withstand the environment in which they are intended to be used. In addition, food-safe materials maintain their integrity through repetitive cleaning, sanitizing, and the use of cleaning products.
The rigorous scientific evaluation described in 21 CFR 170.39 is the determiner for food-safe products and materials. Substances are thoroughly assessed for their chemical composition as well as their intended technical effect, which may alter food items and their dietary integrity. Substances are further measured regarding conditions of use such as temperature, duration of contact, and potential dietary exposure of food-contact substances.
Generally Recognized as Safe
Substances directly or indirectly added to food are evaluated through expert scientific procedures and may be generally recognized as safe (GRAS). Through the application of scientific principles and corroboration within the scientific body of knowledge, food substances are eligible for the classification of GRAS.
Products that have a history of human consumption common to a significant number of people before 1958 may be determined to be GRAS, as in Title 21 CFR 170.3. This could be substances like salt, pepper, or white button mushrooms.
At the same time, compounds extracted from a substance or something new that would be intended for use as a food additive would need to undergo eligibility by submitting a GRAS Notice. For a new ingredient or material to become GRAS, an expert review encompassing scientific training and experience is necessary to evaluate the safety of the substances.
Keeping Food Safe for Consumers
Food producers with an excellent handle of food safety terms can communicate with their customers as well as with regulatory systems. What's more, they can continually achieve the highest standards of food quality and food safety.
The specific and extensive testing capabilities at our network of laboratories help to ensure you meet and exceed quality standards with excellent food safety integrity for consumers.
Want to learn more about how to determine the regulatory status of a food ingredient? Check out this helpful resource from the FDA here!
