21 CFR Part 170: Food Additives
Part 170 of title 21 runs to 41 sections across 5 subparts, and sits in subchapter B, Food for Human Consumption. Every section is reproduced in full and is current to 2026-09-10.
- Sections
- 41
- Subparts
- 5
- Words of regulation
- 14,935
- Current to
- 2026-09-10
Subpart A: General Provisions
- 170.3 Definitions96
- 170.6 Opinion letters on food additive status10
- 170.10 Food additives in standardized foods3
- 170.15 Adoption of regulation on initiative of Commissioner2
- 170.17 Exemption for investigational use and procedure for obtaining authorization to market edible products from experimental animals7
- 170.18 Tolerances for related food additives8
- 170.19 Pesticide chemicals in processed foods1
Subpart B: Food Additive Safety
- 170.20 General principles for evaluating the safety of food additives2
- 170.22 Safety factors to be considered1
- 170.30 Eligibility for classification as generally recognized as safe (GRAS)16
- 170.35 Affirmation of generally recognized as safe (GRAS) status5
- 170.38 Determination of food additive status10
- 170.39 Threshold of regulation for substances used in food-contact articles24
Subpart C: Specific Administrative Rulings and Decisions
Subpart D: Premarket Notifications
- 170.100 Submission of a premarket notification for a food contact substance (FCN) to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)13
- 170.101 Information in a premarket notification for a food contact substance (FCN)13
- 170.102 Confidentiality of information related to premarket notification for a food contact substance (FCN)11
- 170.103 Withdrawal without prejudice of a premarket notification for a food contact substance (FCN)1
- 170.104 Action on a premarket notification for a food contact substance (FCN)9
- 170.105 The Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) determination that a premarket notification for a food contact substance (FCN) is no longer effective20
- 170.106 Notification for a food contact substance formulation (NFCSF)5
Subpart E: Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Notice
- 170.203 Definitions10
- 170.205 Opportunity to submit a GRAS notice1
- 170.210 How to send your GRAS notice to FDA2
- 170.215 Incorporation into a GRAS notice1
- 170.220 General requirements applicable to a GRAS notice2
- 170.225 Part 1 of a GRAS notice: Signed statements and certification20
- 170.230 Part 2 of a GRAS notice: Identity, method of manufacture, specifications, and physical or technical effect10
- 170.235 Part 3 of a GRAS notice: Dietary exposure6
- 170.240 Part 4 of a GRAS notice: Self-limiting levels of use1
- 170.245 Part 5 of a GRAS notice: Experience based on common use in food before 19581
- 170.250 Part 6 of a GRAS notice: Narrative9
- 170.255 Part 7 of a GRAS notice: List of supporting data and information in your GRAS notice2
- 170.260 Steps you may take before FDA responds to your GRAS notice2
- 170.265 What FDA will do with a GRAS notice8
- 170.270 Procedures that apply when the intended conditions of use of a notified substance include use in a product or products subject to regulation by the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) of the United States Department of Agriculture8
- 170.275 Public disclosure of a GRAS notice8
- 170.280 Submission of a supplement1
- 170.285 Disposition of pending GRAS affirmation petitions3
Read 21 CFR part 170 at the eCFR · All of 21 CFR for food safety
Questions
- What does 21 CFR part 170 cover?
- 21 CFR part 170 is Food Additives. It runs to 41 sections across 5 subparts and sits in subchapter B of chapter I, Food for Human Consumption.
Every section of part 170 is a clause somebody has to produce evidence for at their next audit. Krolda maps supplier documents to the clause they satisfy in FSSC 22000, IFS Food and 21 CFR 117, and routes the corrective action when the evidence is missing.
Early accessRecall records come from the openFDA food enforcement API, published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in the public domain. Krolda adds the hazard classification and the clause mapping; neither is an FDA determination. Always check the FDA notice before acting on a recall.