The History of Ozone

History of GRAS Status of Ozone

Date	Event
1840	Discovered by Schönbein
1893	Used as a disinfectant in drinking water
1909	Used as a food preservative for cold storage of meats
1939	Was found to prevent the growth of yeast & mold during the storage of fruits
1982	FDA GRAS declaration for ozone use in bottled water
1995	FDA GRAS for ozone use in bottled water renewed without change
1997	Industry Expert Panel declares ozone GRAS and meets FDA requirements. Regulators have the option to later add control on ozone use.
1999	USDA rejects an ozone use protocol for meats, cites 1982 GRAS declaration for water where FDA stated “any other use must be regulated by a Food Additive Petition.”
2000	Food Additive Petition, that addresses both water and air use of ozone, under preparation. FDA estimates approval will occur within six months of submission of the Petition

Date	Event
1982	O3 declared GRAS for treatment of bottled water (Federal Register, Vol. 47, No. 113, November 5, 1982)
1997	Expert panel report : Evaluation of the history and safety of ozone in processing foods for human consumption. Vol. 2 : Abstracts. Electric Power Research Institute, Palo Alto, CA. R & D Enterprise, Inc. / GRAS self declaration (Federal Register, v. 62 #74, April 19, 1997)
2000	FDA and USDA approval granted