Food Chemicals Codex: Last Call for Revision Requests

United States Pharmacopeia to Publish FCC Sixth Edition — Spring 2008

Last Call for Revision Requests on FCC Fifth Edition.

The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) is requesting industry, academia, and stakeholders to submit revision requests to the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) by April 30, 2007. These suggested revisions will be considered for inclusion in the Spring 2008 publication of the FCC 6th Edition. This is USP's last call of the revision period, which commenced in August 2006, when USP acquired FCC. FCC stakeholders and users are encouraged to assist USP in developing a "Priority List" of new monographs and monographs needing revision that will be posted to the FCC Web site after review by USP's Food Additives Expert Committee (see below).

Proposed revisions for the FCC 6th Edition will be posted for public comment in June 2007. There is no charge to access this initial public comment period. The public notice and comment period will be 60 days (June–July 2007), after which time the Food Additives Expert Committee will review the comments received and approve the revised monographs, including any revisions made in response to comments received. The Expert Committee–approved monographs will subsequently be published in the FCC Sixth Edition in Spring 2008. Interested parties should submit new priority monographs and revision requests to Catherine Sheehan, Director, Excipients and Food Chemical Codex, Division of Standards Development, ().

Additional Ways to Be Involved with the FCC 6th Edition.

FCC Monograph Redesign

USP also is seeking input on redesign of FCC monographs. Contact Ms. Sheehan at the above numbers for further information.

New Food Additives Expert Committee

USP is convening a new Food Additives Expert Committee, which will hold its first meeting this summer. The charge of the Food Additives Expert Committee is to revise the standards in Food Chemicals Codex. Revision is based on revision requests or can be generated by the Expert Committee itself based on information from FDA, in the public domain, or information generated by USP. Revision will occur always in the interest of the public health and will be science–based. Work includes:
  1. Creation of new monographs;
  2. Updating of existing monographs: updating should consider availability of more modern analytical procedures (e.g., introduction of chromatographic methods) with maintenance of existing methods where needed);
  3. Consideration of special science and technical challenges (e.g., enzymes);
  4. Updating of general tests and assay methods, as appropriate; and
  5. Consideration of general topics related to the public health of food additives and their use in foods.

USP Seeks Candidates for FCC Scientific Liaison Positions

Go to http://www.usp.org/aboutUSP/careers/ for further information.