About the FCS Review Program

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established the Division of Food Contact Notification and Review within the Office of Food Additive Safety, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition's (CFSAN), to ensure components of food contact articles, including food packaging and processing equipment, are safe for their intended use. These articles are composed of food contact materials, that contain or are made of food contact substances (FCSs) which fall under the categories described in the table below. FCSs typically include coatings, plastics, paper, adhesives, colorants, antimicrobials, and antioxidants. FCSs are evaluated primarily through the food contact notification (FCN) program; however depending on the substance, it may fit into one of the following categories.

Food Contact Substance Category Terms

• Prior Sanctioned
• GRAS
• Food Additive
• Threshold of Regulation Exemption
• Indirect Food Additive
• Food Contact Substance