Food Chemicals Codex

Overview

The Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) is a compendium of internationally recognized monograph standards and tests for the purity and quality of food ingredients, e.g., preservatives, flavorings, colorings, and nutrients. The FCC is used by manufacturers of food, food chemicals, and food ingredients and regulatory agencies. It promotes uniformity of quality and provides added assurance of safety for food ingredients.

Published since 1966, the FCC was recently acquired by USP from the Institute of Medicine. With the new Sixth edition, USP is updating the FCC through an open collaborative revision process involving industry, government, and the public. Learn more about the new FCC revision process.

Information and features

FCC monographs provide specifications for food ingredients:

• Empirical formula; structural formula; formula weight; and CAS, INS, and FEMA numbers
• Description of the substance, including the physical form and solubility
• Function
• Identification
• Assay
• Impurity limits
• Specific tests
• Packaging and storage

Publication schedule

The FCC, Sixth Edition, published in Spring 2008 with supplements publishing in Spring 2009. Thereafter, USP will continue to publish the FCC every two years with supplements in the interim year.

Publication	Publication Date
Food Chemicals Codex, Sixth Edition	Spring 2008
Supplement to Sixth Edition	February 2009
Food Chemicals Codex, 7th Edition	February 2010
Supplement to 7th Edition	February 2011

Formats and subscriptions

The FCC is available in print and online subscriptions.

Online subscriptions: Online subscriptions feature the same quality content found in the print format and include extensive search capabilities. An online subscription is for a 24-month period.

Who needs the FCC

The FCC is an essential reference for anyone involved in

• Food manufacturing
• Food chemicals and ingredients
• Food quality control
• Food regulatory affairs

How the FCC helps

• Provides efficient and easy-to-use access to monograph standards for over 1,000 food–grade ingredients
• Includes step-by-step guidance for tests and procedures
• Saves time and expense when setting protocols and SOPs
• Assists with maintaining regulatory compliance

Online technical requirements

Technical support