Chemical Additives: Indirect Additives Used in Food Contact Substances

The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) of 1938 defines a food contact substance as “any substance intended for use as a component of materials used in manufacturing, packing, packaging, transporting, or holding food if such use is not intended to have any technical effect in such food.” A database of indirect additives is maintained by the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) under an ongoing program known as the Priority-based Assessment of Food Additives (PAFA). It contains administrative and chemical information on more than three thousand substances.