Prior sanctioned
Food contact materials are used for a long time and before official legislation was present. Materials which were used before September 6, 1958 a prior sanction shall apply as can be read in the 21 CFR 181.5: "A prior sanction shall exist only for a specific use(s) of a substance in food, i.e., the level(s), condition(s), product(s), etc., for which there was explicit approval by the Food and Drug Administration or the United States Department of Agriculture prior to September 6, 1958". If a ingredient is approved as prior sanctioned it is exempted as can be read in 21 CFR 181.1 "An ingredient whose use in food or food packaging is subject to a prior sanction or approval within the meaning of section 201(s)(4) of the Act is exempt from classification as a food additive".
Ingredients that are recognized as prior sanctioned can be found in:
| - The lehman list |
| - 21 CFR 181.22 - 21 CFR 181.34 |