Legislative Letter

FEDERAL REGISTRY ASSIGNMENT

Search Word: Food Safety Date of Search: 9/5/2020 Register Date: 10/9/18

Name: Joshua Quindao Class: 3043-01 Community Nutrition Fall 2020

SUMMARY

Styrene is a substance which is used to create rubber, latex, plastics as well as luggage and shoes. Due to the nature of this substance, the Styrene Information and Research Center (SIRC) filed a food additive petition (FAP 6A4817) to amend the use of styrene within synthetic flavoring substances and adjuvants under section 172.515.

In 2018, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) demanded that the food additive regulations comply with the discontinued use of styrene in food as a response to the petition. Section 409 of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) states that they must establish a procedure to amend food additives regulation and must include facts which are supported by data which includes information that shows that the new or old abandoned uses of food additive are available to show the toxicity of the chemical. Under these regulations, Section 409 of (FD&C Act) and Section 171.130, a petitioner is able to propose the amending of the regulation as long as he/she is able to demonstrate that practice or use is no longer necessary.

The FDA reviewed all the materials within the petition to determine whether styrene was necessary. With the information available, they determined that the use of styrene as a flavoring substance has been abandoned therefore leading to the amending of the regulation. This rule became effective on October 9, 2018.

DISCUSSION/COMMENTS

The Styrene Information and Research Center (SIRC) was impressive because of the objective of amending the complete discontinue of a substance as well as seeking a way to keep people safe. The FDA amended these regulations as discovering the use of styrene in flavoring substances and adjuvant abandoned. This rule became effective on October 9, 2018. This topic was interesting because of the long process it took to amend it. The petition was first submitted in 2016 and was finally amended in 2018.

REFERENCE

Federal Register, Volume 83 Issue 195 (Tuesday, October 9, 2018), www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2018-10-09/html/2018-21808.htm.

“Styrene: Your Environment, Your Health | National Library of Medicine.” U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/chemicals-and-contaminants/styrene.