Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association

What Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association does

FEMA (Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States) is a Washington, DC-based US trade association founded in 1909 representing the flavor and food ingredient manufacturing industry. Its core offering is the FEMA GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) Assessment Program, in which an independent Expert Panel conducts scientific safety evaluations of flavoring substances; the program has produced 31 GRAS publications (GRAS 3 through GRAS 31) spanning from 1965 to 2024, with GRAS 31 covering substances 4981–5029. Surrounding the GRAS program are the Flavor Library, Safety Assessments database, and Top Resources catalog (IOFI reference list, FDA substance databases, JECFA evaluations). FEMA also operates three flagship annual engagement venues: the Annual Leadership Conference, Fall Symposium, and Spring Committee Meetings, complemented by webinars, regulatory and scientific email updates, and a scholarship program for food science students.

FEMA operates as a nonprofit membership organization with 51–100 staff, headquartered at 1101 17th St. NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring membership dues from flavor manufacturers (Givaudan, IFF, Kerry, MANE, DSM-Firmenich, McCormick, Virginia Dare) and consumer product companies (Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, ADM), supplemented by event registration fees (e.g., $1,450–$1,650 for Annual Leadership Conference full registration, $325 for Spring Committee Meetings, $349 for golf, $550 for spouse/guest) and the publication of GRAS materials. Distribution runs through a members-only website plus public-facing femaflavor.org, email updates (Regulatory, Science, Sustainability, Consumer Product), and in-person events. The association is led by Executive Director George Southworth, with General Counsel John B. Hallagan (45 years of service) and Scientific Director Christie Harman (B.S. Biochemistry, Virginia Tech; MPH, Columbia) overseeing scientific and legal functions. Strategic partnerships with IOFI and IFRA underpin the IFRA-IOFI Sustainability Charter (2020), signed by over 130 companies globally.

Name

Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association

Legal name

Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States

Website

https://femaflavor.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1909

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

FEMA is a US trade association (founded 1909, Washington DC) that operates the FEMA GRAS safety assessment program for the flavor industry, serving flavor manufacturers and consumer product companies through scientific publications, regulatory guidance, and three annual industry events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Spice and Extract Manufacturing (311942)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Flavorings & Extracts (Natural & Artificial) (CRADAOAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Flavor Houses & Compound Flavor Manufacturing (AFAJADAA)

Keywords

• Flavor safety assessment
• GRAS substance evaluation
• Industry trade association
• Regulatory affairs services
• Flavor industry education

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: FEMA operates primarily through membership dues from flavor manufacturers, consumer product companies, and other industry participants. The association provides member-only access to resources, committees, and networking.
2. Event Registration Fees: Revenue generated from Annual Leadership Conference, Fall Symposium, and Spring Committee Meetings registrations. Pricing varies by event type and membership status.
3. GRAS Publications: Scientific publications on GRAS flavoring substances, including detailed safety assessments and evaluations available to members and the public.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association is a US trade association that operates the FEMA GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) Assessment Program, conducting independent expert-panel safety evaluations of flavoring substances and publishing them as GRAS 3 through GRAS 31. It packages these assessments alongside a Flavor Library, Safety Assessments database, GRAS Publications, and Top Resources, and delivers them to members together with regulatory guidance, industry advocacy, and recurring events (Annual Leadership Conference, Fall Symposium, Spring Committee Meetings) plus webinars and educational workshops for the flavor industry.

Product overview

The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA) operates as a trade association offering a unified platform of member resources centered on its GRAS assessment program. The core offering is the FEMA GRAS assessment program, which provides scientific safety evaluations of flavor ingredients through expert panel reviews, producing GRAS publications (GRAS 3 through GRAS 31) and detailed safety assessments. Supporting this are the Flavor Library, Safety Assessments database, and Top Resources. FEMA also organizes three major annual events: the Annual Leadership Conference, Fall Symposium, and Spring Committee Meetings. Additional services include education and training programs through webinars, workshops, and a scholarship program for food science students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FEMA GRAS Assessment Program A scientific safety assessment program, run through an independent Expert Panel, that evaluates flavoring ingredients as Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) and publishes the determinations as a numbered series of GRAS publications (GRAS 3 through GRAS 31), providing regulatory-grade safety determinations accepted by US and international authorities.
• Annual Leadership Conference An annual in-person conference offering FEMA members expert-led industry sessions, leadership programming, and networking for flavor industry professionals, with tiered registration pricing (e.g., $1,450 early-bird, $1,650 regular, $550 spouse/guest, $349 optional golf).
• Fall Symposium An annual fall educational symposium delivering regulatory, scientific, and industry updates to FEMA members in a single-track program format.
• Spring Committee Meetings Semi-annual committee meetings held in the Arlington, VA area, bringing together FEMA's Regulatory Affairs Committee and Consumer Product Companies Committee for educational presentations and committee work, with member registration at $325 for the 2026 meeting.
• Flavor Library An online resource hub providing access to FEMA's flavor information, safety assessments, GRAS publications, and curated Top Resources (IOFI Global Reference List, FDA food substance databases, JECFA evaluations, FEMA scientific publications) for members.
• Education and Training Programs Webinars, educational resources, flavor science workshops, and a scholarship program for food science students, designed to help members and industry professionals navigate the flavor industry through continuing professional development.

Quantifiable outcome

• GRAS 31 published in 2024 covering FEMA substances 4981-5029
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• IOFI (International Organization of the Flavor Industry)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022FEMA collaborates with IOFI on industry-wide initiatives including the IFRA-IOFI Sustainability Charter launched in 2020, signed by over 130 companies globally. FEMA speakers present on IOFI activities at annual conferences, covering sustainability frameworks across responsible sourcing, environmental footprint reduction, employee well-being, product safety, and transparency.
• IFRA (International Fragrance Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Joint IFRA-IOFI Sustainability Charter established in 2020 as a voluntary framework for global flavor and fragrance industry sustainability. Over 130 companies have signed the charter addressing five focus areas.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Natural Products Association (NPA): NPA represents the natural products industry and overlaps with FEMA on the "natural flavors" regulatory category, including labeling, certification, and FDA advocacy. It is broader in scope than FEMA but competes for the same regulatory voice on flavor-related issues.
• Consumer Brands Association (formerly GMA): CBA represents packaged food and beverage manufacturers that are also FEMA members via the Consumer Product Companies Committee. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps with FEMA on regulatory advocacy for the consumer products that use flavors.
• Institute of Food Technologists (IFT): IFT is a larger, broader scientific association for food professionals that overlaps FEMA's audience (food scientists, regulatory professionals) and competes for educational programming and conference attendance, though IFT spans all food science rather than flavors specifically.

Regional players

• European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) working bodies / industry counterparts: EFSA and regional flavor/food safety bodies operate counterpart scientific assessment functions in the EU, performing roles analogous to FEMA's Expert Panel GRAS program for European jurisdictions.

Emerging players

• Flavor and Fragrance Center for Industry Leadership Studies: Academic and industry training programs in flavor science represent emerging peer entities that compete with FEMA's webinars and scholarship program for content-driven engagement with food science professionals.

Direct peers

• International Organization of the Flavor Industry (IOFI): IOFI is the global counterpart trade association for the flavor industry, organized across regions outside the U.S. FEMA and IOFI collaborate closely on regulatory and sustainability initiatives, making IOFI the most directly comparable peer to FEMA.
• American Spice Trade Association (ASTA): ASTA is the U.S. trade association for the spice industry, an adjacent raw-input category that feeds directly into FEMA's flavor manufacturing members. ASTA operates a similar membership, regulatory advocacy, and scientific assessment model.
• International Fragrance Association (IFRA): IFRA represents the global fragrance industry in a structure analogous to FEMA for flavors. FEMA co-developed the IFRA-IOFI Sustainability Charter with IFRA, and the two associations share member companies, regulatory advocacy models, and conference formats.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/femaflavor
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association