After 40 years and the publication of five editions of the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) as an activity of the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Food and Nutrition Board, the National Academy of Sciences has transferred responsibility for future editions to the United States Pharmacopeia (www.usp.org).  The FCC is a compendium of standards that promote quality and safety of food additives such as preservatives, flavoring, coloring and nutrients.  Developed following passage of the 1958 Food Additives amendment to the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, to date, five editions have been published (1966, 1972, 1981, 1996, and 2003).  As the time approached to develop the sixth edition of the FCC, it became clear that funds needed to develop the scientific content of the sixth edition could not be obtained.  To assure continuity of this vital reference document, on August 23 the National Academy of Sciences entered into an agreement with the USP to develop and publish future editions of the FCC.

The National Academies Press is no longer publishing the 5th edition of the Food Chemicals Codex.  For information about the 5th edition or the forthcoming 6th edition, please visit the Web site of the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), the new publisher of the Food Chemicals Codex.