Foodinnovation has never moved more quickly than today.  An important elementof innovation and product development is understanding the regulatoryrequirements for the food product you intend to market.  Innovation intoday’s food technology space ranges from cultured animal cell foods to foodingredients produced using new methods (e.g., precision fermentation) to novelfood packaging materials.  Many of these products fall under theregulatory remit of FDA’s Office of Food Additive Safety (OFAS).  Foodproducers have a legal obligation to market only safe and lawful foods. In order to assist companies seeking to bring new food ingredients (or new usesof “old” ingredients) to the food supply, OFAS offers several premarketregulatory programs related to substances added to food or that come intocontact with food. The OFAS premarket programs include food contact substancesnotifications, food additive and color additive petitions and GenerallyRecognized as Safe substances (GRAS) notices. Other programs include food fromnew plant varieties and foods derived from animal cell-culture.  OFAS canhelp innovators get a jump start on applicable premarket regulatory processesthrough interactions early in the product development process. 

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