Delaney Clause

Lead Author: Sidney Draggan (other articles)
Content Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture (other articles)
Article Topics: Agriculture and food, Biosecurity, Consumer issues and Human health
This article has been reviewed and approved by the following Topic Editor: Michelle Miller (other articles)
Last Updated: November 17, 2007

The Delaney Clause in the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) states that no additive shall be deemed to be safe for human food if it is found to induce cancer in man or animals.

The clause is an example of the zero tolerance concept in food safety policy.

The Delaney prohibition appears in three separate parts of the FFDCA:

  • Section 409 on food additives;
  • Section 512, relating to animal drugs in meat and poultry; and
  • Section 721 on color additives.

The Section 409 prohibition applied to many pesticide residues until enactment of the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-170, August 3, 1996). This legislation removed pesticide residue tolerances from Delaney Clause constraints.

Citation
Draggan, Sidney (Lead Author); U.S. Department of Agriculture (Content source); Michelle Miller (Topic Editor). 2007. "Delaney Clause." In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth June 6, 2007; Last revised November 17, 2007; Retrieved November 20, 2008]. <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Delaney_Clause>
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