On Sept. 6, 1958, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Food Additives Amendments were passed, requiring that food additives, including preservatives, emulsifiers, and other functional additives, be subject to premarket testing.

Today, the FDA must review the safety of food and color additives before manufacturers and distributors can market them. To initiate this review, the FDA requires sponsors to submit a petition or notification that includes test data demonstrating the safety of the intended use of the substance.