How to check any sweet protein supplier’s GRAS status in five minutes

Buyer guide · Reviewed by the UnSugar R&D Team

The 30-second version

Ask every supplier for a GRN number. Look it up in FDA’s public GRAS Notice Inventory. Read three things in the letter: the substance, the intended use and the exclusions. Make sure the ingredient you are buying is the one in the letter.

Sweet proteins are moving from trade-show novelty to real launch briefs, and every supplier now has a regulatory line on its website. Some lines say a lot. Some say very little, very confidently. The good news is that checking the claim takes about five minutes, and you do not need a regulatory background to do it.

The five-step check

1. Ask for the GRN. A supplier with an FDA response has a GRAS Notice number. Ours is GRN 001338. If a supplier cannot give you a number, ask why.
2. Look it up. Search FDA’s GRAS Notice Inventory by number to see the substance, the notifier and FDA’s letter. FDA updates entries after it responds, so a very recent letter can take a little time to appear. If the entry still reads “pending”, ask the supplier for a copy of the letter itself.
3. Read the letter, not the headline. Look for the words “FDA has no questions”. Then read the subject of the notice and the intended use, including what is excluded, for example infant formula or USDA-regulated foods.
4. Match the ingredient. GRAS status belongs to a specific preparation made a specific way. Ask the supplier to confirm that the product and grade you will buy is the one in the notice, and ask for the specification and a certificate of analysis.
5. Know the other labels you will hear. “Self-affirmed GRAS” means the company reached its own conclusion without an FDA response. “GRAS notice filed” means FDA has not responded yet. “FEMA GRAS” covers use as a flavor, which is different from use as a sweetener.

Checklist for your supplier questionnaire

Copy these into your vendor-qualification form:

• GRN number
• FDA response type and date
• Intended use and exclusions
• Product matches the notified preparation
• Specification and certificate of analysis
• Label declaration position
• Sample lead time

For UnSugar Sweet Protein, the answers are: GRN 001338; an FDA “no questions” letter dated November 4, 2026; use as a general-purpose sweetener in foods, excluding infant formula and USDA-regulated products; a certificate of analysis with every lot; and a sample box in about 7 days. Our regulatory and quality page lists the documents you can request.

Red flags

• “FDA approved” used for a GRAS ingredient. FDA does not approve GRAS ingredients. It reviews GRAS notices. A supplier that says “approved” is either careless or hoping you will not check.
• No GRN, or a GRN that belongs to a different preparation. The number has to match the product you are buying.
• A sweetener use claimed on the strength of a flavor-only status. Flavor use and sweetener use are not the same thing.

Why this matters more in 2027

FDA has proposed making GRAS notification mandatory. Under the proposed rule, published on August 11, 2026, ingredients that already have a “no questions” letter for their intended use would be exempt from the new requirement. Comments close on December 9, 2026. Whatever the final rule looks like, a GRN with an FDA response is the simplest status to defend in a vendor file.

Ready when you are

Request our regulatory documents, including the FDA response letter, the specification and a certificate of analysis, or put a sample box on your bench in about 7 days.

Request our regulatory documentsRequest a sample box

Quick answers

Where is the FDA GRAS Notice Inventory? On fda.gov, under Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), GRAS Notice Inventory. You can search it by GRN.

What is UnSugar’s status? GRN 001338, closed with an FDA “no questions” letter dated November 4, 2026, for use as a general-purpose sweetener in foods, excluding infant formula and USDA-regulated products.

What if the inventory entry still says pending? FDA updates entries after it responds, so ask the supplier for a copy of the letter. We share ours on request.

Will the rules change? FDA has proposed making GRAS notification mandatory. Ingredients that already have a “no questions” letter for their intended use would be exempt from the new requirement.

Is self-affirmed GRAS the same as a no questions letter? No. Self-affirmed GRAS means the company reached its own conclusion. A no questions letter means FDA reviewed the notice and had no questions about it.

About UnSugar

UnSugar Sweet Protein is a sweet-protein ingredient that helps US food and beverage teams cut sugar while keeping the taste. It is 1,000 times sweeter than sugar and replaces 60 to 90% of the sugar in suitable formulations. UnSugar Sweet Protein has an FDA GRAS “no questions” letter (GRN 001338, November 4, 2026) for use as a general-purpose sweetener in foods. Contact sales@goUnSugar.com.

This guide is general information for supplier qualification, not legal advice. Confirm the regulatory position for your finished product with your own regulatory team. We make no health, glycemic or calorie claims for UnSugar Sweet Protein.