Food Chemicals Codex (FCC)–An Overview

What is the FCC?

The FCC is a compendium of internationally recognized standards for the purity and identity of food ingredients. It features about 1,100 monographs, including food-grade chemicals, processing aids, foods (such as vegetable oils, fructose, whey, and amino acids), flavoring agents, vitamins, and functional food ingredients (such as lycopene, olestra, and short chain fructooligosaccharides).

Published since 1966, the FCC plays a key role in safeguarding commerce and public health by providing essential criteria and analytical methods to authenticate and determine the quality of food ingredients. FCC standards are beneficial to all players in the food industry:

• they are used as agreed standards between suppliers and manufacturers in ongoing purchasing and supply decisions and transactions and
• they can aid manufacturers in distinguishing genuine products from inferior or adulterated ingredients and substances, thereby helping to make the food supply chain safer and assuring consumers of the quality of the food products they eat.

USP and the FCC

USP acquired the FCC from the Institute of Medicine in 2006 with the goal of providing full support for the continuing revision and update of the compendium. USP's rich history and nearly 200 years' experience setting standards for pharmaceuticals, dietary supplements, excipients, and more made the organization well suited to undertake this task. (Learn more about USP and its history.)

USP has instituted a timely, transparent revision process (see "Setting FCC Standards and Your Role" below). The FCC is now published every two years in print and online formats and is offered as a subscription that includes a main edition and supplements.

FCC Contents: Monographs, Tests, and More

The FCC has two main sections: monographs and appendices. The monographs are listed alphabetically and generally cover a single ingredient, providing information on chemical formula, chemical weight, CAS numbers, function, definition, packaging, storage, and labeling requirements, and, where included, INS numbers, IR Spectra, and chemical structures. There are also several "family" monographs, which cover a group of substances. These include "Enzyme Preparations", "Food Starch", and "Spice Oleoresins". In addition, the specification is included and consists of a series of tests, procedures for the tests, and acceptance criteria. Monographs may also specify USP Reference Standards or other materials needed to perform the tests.

The FCC's appendices contain step–by–step guidance for general physical tests, chemical tests, specific tests, and apparatus use, as well as useful information for stakeholders such as food ingredient Good Manufacturing Practices.

International Impact and Recognition

The FCC is published in the United States, but regulatory agencies, manufacturers, vendors, and other users of food ingredients recognize it worldwide. In some countries, FCC standards may serve as a legal requirement for manufacturing or importing a food ingredient. In all countries, FCC is a proven tool in establishing and managing quality–key elements in promoting vendor and customer relationships.

If a food ingredient has been found suitable (i.e., legal and safe) by a U.S. or foreign regulatory body, then that ingredient has passed the safety threshold and is worthy of development as an FCC monograph. The FCC also supports ingredients such as sucrose and essential oils that are not considered to be "food additives" by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). Learn more about the FCC and JECFA here.

Setting FCC Standards and Your Role

FCC standards are now established and updated through USP's unique objective standards–setting process . Directed by volunteer food ingredient experts and USP staff, the process begins with the submission of a new monograph or revisions to an existing food ingredient standard by you, the interested stakeholder. All revisions are published for public review and comment in the free FCC Forum. Learn more about the FCC Forum. (Please note: the FCC Forum requires a free, one–time registration. Click on "Sign up for free access here" once you click through.)

Your participation in setting FCC standards is important to the successful development of food ingredient standards that accurately reflect industry and public needs. Learn more here.

For further information please contact the FCC team ().