Do Food Standards Stifle Innovation?

Why it is possible to gain approval to add ingredients to some foods, but not other foods? The answer is that some foods are regulated under food standards—Section 401 of the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act prohibits the addition of anything other than specified ingredients.

Food standards have been adopted to protect consumers from deceptive practices such as adulteration, misbranding, or mislabeling; inferior quality; or replacement with cheaper substitutes. The most recent revision of the l…