News

FDA new guidance on ethanol for hand sanitizer restricts production

The Renewable Fuels Association says FDA’s revised guidance on the production of ethanol for hand sanitizer won’t help with the shortage of the product.

RFA president Geoff Cooper says they appreciate the FDA’s response for clarity but the new interim limits for certain impurities are overly restrictive. Cooper says they create a roadblock for producers “who could otherwise supply huge volumes” of “safe, clean, high quality” ethyl alcohol for hand sanitizer makers.

Cooper says it’s unfortunate that the U.S. is importing hand sanitizer from China. But, he says they’ll continue to work with FDA to ensure ethanol producers do their part to combat COVID-19 and “provide larger quantities of ethyl alcohol for hand sanitizer.”