Inventory of Food Contact Substances Listed in 21 CFR

FDA authorizes Food Contact Substances by identity, intended use, and conditions of use; the presence of a substance in this list indicates that only certain intended uses and use conditions are authorized by FDA regulations. This list is a compilation of the names of these substances (or combinations of substances in the case of, for example, polymers and resins) found in 21 CFR parts 173, 175 - 178, 179.45, 180.22, 181, and 186. The regulation(s) cited for specific substances should always be consulted to understand the regulatory status of a given substance, its allowed intended uses and conditions of use.

The inventory also contains information on substances listed in 21 CFR 189 that are prohibited from use as food contact substances.

See more about Inventory of Food Contact Substances Listed in 21 CFR.

See also: Inventory of Effective Food Contact Substance (FCS) Notifications.

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• Select the substance name below to view the additional names for the substance.
• To view the regulations authorizing the use of a given substance, select the corresponding link(s) in the 21 CFR column.
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* Definitions

• CAS Reg. No. (or other ID): Chemical Abstract Service (CAS) Registry Number® for the substance or a numerical code (other ID) assigned by CFSAN to those substances that do not have a CAS Registry Number (977nnn-nn-n series).
• Substance: The name of the additive as recognized by CFSAN.
• 21 CFR: The Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21 is the preferred reference to determine the regulatory status of Indirect Food Additives. Substances whose names appear in 21 CFR, parts 175-178 are authorized for specified intended users and conditions of use as stated in the regulation. Note that substances may appear in more than one regulation, or several times in the same regulation.

Note that if a substance is mentioned in 21 CFR parts 175-178 and thus, is listed above, any other citations for the same substance in other sections of 21 CFR dealing with food additives (parts 1-199 inclusive) may also be cited.