By SALINA POST
Attention French dressing lovers: Your beloved dressing may be changing.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Wednesday announced that it is revoking the standard of identity for French dressing in response to a citizen petition from the Association for Dressings and Sauces.
This final ruling is effective Feb. 14, 2022.
According to the FDA, the Association for Dressings and Sauces provided information to the FDA that showed the French dressing standard was outdated.
"In December 2020, the agency issued a proposed rule and is now finalizing the rule based in part on its conclusion that revoking the standard will allow for greater innovation and more flexibility of products on the market," the FDA noted on its website.
The FDA explained that identity standards "impose requirements related to the content and production of certain food products."
"The standard of identity for French dressing characterized it as containing oil, acidifying and seasoning ingredients, and allowed additional safe and suitable ingredients. However, based on information submitted to the FDA, consumers appear to expect French dressing to have certain characteristics not required by the standard, such as containing tomatoes or tomato-derived ingredients," the FDA reported.