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[Updated] Canada Food Additives in 2023: Health Canada Extends the Use of a Coloring Agent

This article tracks and collects the regulatory updates on food additives in 2023. Latest update: On December 12, 2023, Health Canada modified the List of Permitted Colouring Agents to extend the use of allura red as a colouring agent in fruit flavoured beer.

In Canada, food additive is defined as any chemical substance that is added to food during preparation or storage and either becomes a part of the food or affects the food's characteristics for achieving a particular technical effect.  

All permitted food additives and their conditions of use are listed in the Lists of Permitted Food Additives, which contains 15 classes of food additives, such as anticaking agents, bleaching, colouring agents, sweeteners, and etc. It is noteworthy that processing aids, food ingredients, vitamins/minerals/amino acids, spices/seasonings/flavouring preparations, agricultural chemicals, veterinary drugs, and food packaging materials are excluded from the scope of food additives.

Based on scientific assessment, Health Canada will notify the approval of new food additives and the usage extensions of existing additives. This article tracks and collects the regulatory updates on food additives in 2023.

Latest Update: December 12, 2023 [Coloring Agents] 

On December 12, 2023, Health Canada unveiled NOM/ADM-0211 with immediate effect, modifying the List of Permitted Colouring Agents to extend the use of allura red as a colouring agent in fruit flavoured beer. Details are as follows:

Column 1 Additive

Column 2 Permitted in or Upon

Column 3 Maximum Level of Use and Other Conditions

(3.1) Allura Red

(1) Lumpfish caviar

(1) 1300 p.p.m. used singly

(2) Fruit flavoured beer

(2) 10 p.p.m.

November 20, 2023 [Preservatives] [Consultation Draft]
November 3, 2023 [Coloring agents]
October 11, 2023 [Food enzymes]
September 28, 2023 [Food enzymes]
September 13, 2023 [Food enzymes]
August 3, 2023 [Food enzymes]
June 28, 2023 [Food enzymes]
June 9, 2023 [Food enzymes]
May 31, 2023 [Emulsifying, gelling, stabilizing or thickening agents]
May 24, 2023 [Colouring agents]
May 23, 2023 [Food enzymes]
April 27, 2023 [Food enzymes]
March 31, 2023 [Emulsifying, gelling, stabilizing or thickening agents]
March 28, 2023 [Food enzyme]
March 9, 2023 [Anticaking agents, coloring agents, emulsifying, gelling, stabilizing or thickening agents, firming agents, food additives with other accepted uses, pH adjusting agents, acid-reacting materials and water correcting agents, starch-modifying agents] [Consultation draft]
March 2, 2023 [Food enzymes] 
February 27, 2023 [Food additives]
February 22, 2023 [Food enzymes]
February 6, 2023 [Food enzymes]
February 2, 2023 [Sweeteners]


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