FCC Forum Allows Scientific Process for Revising Standards

ROCKVILLE, Md.—The U.S. Pharmacopeial (USP; USP.org) Convention announced that the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) Forum is now available on USP’s Web site at USP.org/fcc/forum. All interested parties are encouraged to submit their feedback on proposed changes to FCC standards through this free medium. The comment period for proposed standards is open for 90 days.“The open, transparent and formal process by which FCC is revised via the FCC Forum allows for the interaction of industry, regulatory bodies, and academia, and ensures the ongoing application of credible, science-based documentary standards,” said Darrell Abernethy, M.D., Ph.D., chief science officer for USP. “It is vital for food industry chemists to have input into the revision of standards that they will later need to observe.”The current FCC Forum offers proposed revisions or additions to the 2009 supplement to the Sixth Edition of the FCC, including new and revised monographs, general tests and assays, and solutions and indicators. Anyone with an interest in these standards can visit the USP Web site to review the proposed changes to existing standards and submit their comments to the USP scientific liaison listed in each particular section.