Has FDA determined that use of ammonium hydroxide in food processing is safe?
Yes. FDA affirmed ammonium hydroxide as GRAS in 1974 after extensive review of the scientific literature and a rulemaking process. Ammonium hydroxide was one of 235 substances that were subjected to a full safety review by the Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS), an independent committee of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) that reported its findings to FDA. The SCOGS report to FDA concluded that: “Ammonia and the ammonium ion are integral components of normal metabolic processes and play an essential role in the physiology of man…. the Select Committee concludes that: There is no evidence in the available information on…. ammonium hydroxide….. that demonstrates, or suggests reasonable grounds to suspect, a hazard to the public when [it is] used at levels that are now current or that might reasonably be expected in the future.” Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS) Review, Report No. 34, 1974. GRAS status means that a substance is gener
