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: 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]
On March 9, 2023, Health Canada issued NOP/ADP-0040, proposing to amend the regulations on the use of aluminum-containing food additives. Comments can be sent to bcs-bipc@hc-sc.gc.ca before May 22.
The main amendments are as follows: (1) Revise the list of permitted anticaking agents. Delete all permitted uses of calcium aluminum silicate; (2) Delete all permitted uses of sodium aluminum phosphate from the list of permitted emulsifiers, gelling, stabilizing, or thickening agents; (3) Delete all permitted uses of aluminum sulfate in canned crab meat, lobster, salmon, shrimp, tuna, pickles and other foods; delete the provisions on the use of ammonium aluminum sulfate in pickles and non-standard foods; (4) The specific proposed revisions are shown in the table below:
Food additive | Food | Previous maximum level | Proposed maximum level |
Sodium Aluminum Silicate | Salt | 1.0% (2.0% for fine grained salt) | 5,000 p.p.m |
Garlic salt; Onion salt | 2.0% | 5,000 p.p.m |
Aluminum Metal | Unstandardized confectionery, except chewing gum | Good Manufacturing Practice | 670 p.p.m |
Potassium aluminum silicate-based iron oxide, potassium aluminum silicate-based titanium dioxide and potassium aluminum silicate-based titanium dioxide and iron oxide | Unstandardized confectionery | 1.25% | 2,500 ppm |
Unstandardized alcoholic beverages | 0.5% | 1,000 ppm |
Gelatin desserts and unstandardized bakery products | 0.15% | 260 ppm |
Chocolate | 0.15% | 300 ppm |
Ammonium aluminum sulphate | Baking powder | Good Manufacturing Practice | 3.5%, calculated as aluminum |
Aluminum sulphate | Starch used in the manufacture of modified starch for use in confectionery | Good Manufacturing Practice | 330 p.p.m., calculated as aluminum |
March 2, 2023 [Food enzymes]
On March 2, 2023, Health Canada issued NOM/ADM-0196 with immediate effect, modifying the List of Permitted Food Enzymes to enable the use of transglutaminase from Streptomyces mobaraensis M2020197 in various foods.
Details are as follows:
Item No. | Column 1 Additive | Column 2 Permitted Source | Column 3 Permitted in or Upon | Column 4 Maximum Level of Use and Other Conditions |
T.01 | Transglutaminase | Bacillus licheniformis PP6107 | (1) Blend of prepared fish and prepared meat referred to in paragraph B.21.006(n) | (1) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(2) Brawn; Headcheese; Meat loaf or meat by-product loaf; Meat lunch; Meat roll; Prepared meat or prepared meat by-product (Division 14); Preserved meat or preserved meat by-product (Division 14); Pumping pickle, cover pickle and dry cure employed in the curing of preserved meat or preserved meat by-product; Sausage; (naming the prepared meat or prepared meat by-product) with (naming the non-meat ingredients) | (2) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(3) Bread, Flour; Whole wheat flour | (3) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(4) Pasta | (4) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(5) Plant-based products that resemble dairy products; Plant-based products that resemble egg products; Plant-based products that resemble meat products, including simulated meat products; Plant-based products that resemble poultry meat products, including simulated poultry products | (5) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(6) Plant protein concentrates; Plant protein isolates | (6) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(7) Prepared poultry meat or prepared poultry meat by-product; Preserved poultry meat or preserved poultry meat by-product | (7) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(8) Tofu; Tempeh | (8) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(9) Unstandardized bakery products | (9) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(10) Unstandardized cheese products | (10) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(11) Unstandardized cream cheese products | (11) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(12) Unstandardized frozen dairy desserts | (12) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(13) Unstandardized prepared fish products | (13) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(14) Unstandardized processed cheese products | (14) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(15) Yogurt | (15) Good Manufacturing Practice |
February 27, 2023 [Food additives]
On February 27, 2023, Health Canada issued NOM/ADM-0197 with immediate effect, modifying the List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Accepted Uses to extend the use of acetic acid to 2'-fucosyllactose (2'-FL), which is to be used as an ingredient in infant formula and nutritional supplements for children 1 to 3 years of age (12-47 months). Details are as follows:
Item No. | Column 1 Additive | Column 2 Permitted in or upon | Column 3 Purpose of Use | Column 4 Maximum Level of Use and Other Conditions |
A.02 | Acetic acid | 2'-Fucosyllactose, including 2'-fucosyllactose for use in infant formula | Crystallization aid and washing agent | Good Manufacturing Practice. Residue of acetic acid not to exceed 1.0% in 2'-fucosyllactose. In the case of infant formula, residue of acetic acid not to exceed 1.0% in 2'-fucosyllactose and 12 ppm in the food as consumed. |
February 22, 2023 [Food enzymes]
On February 22, 2023, Health Canada issued NOM/ADM-0195 with immediate effect, modifying the List of Permitted Food Enzymes to enable the use of subtilisin from Bacillus licheniformis PP6107 in various foods. Details are as follows:
Item No. | Column 1 Additive | Column 2 Permitted Source | Column 3 Permitted in or Upon | Column 4 Maximum Level of Use and Other Conditions |
P.6 | (iii) Subtilisin | Bacillus licheniformis PP6107 | (1) Hydrolyzed animal, milk and vegetable protein | (1) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(2) Hydrolysed yeast | (2) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(3) Plant-based products that resemble dairy products; Plant-based products that resemble dairy-based products | (3) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(4) Plant-based products that resemble egg products | (4) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(5) Plant-based products that resemble meat products including simulated meat products; Plant-based products that resemble poultry meat products including simulated poultry products | (5) Good Manufacturing Practice |
February 6, 2022 [Food enzymes]
On February 6, 2023, Health Canada issued NOM/ADM-0193 with immediate effect, modifying the List of Permitted Food Enzymes to enable the use of lactase from Bacillus subtilis DH617 in certain dairy foods.
Lactase from other sources has been allowed in lactose-reducing enzyme preparations and certain dairy products in Canada. Prior to this notice, B. subtilis DH617 was not a permitted source for any food enzyme in Canada. Details are as follows:
Item No. | Column 1 Additive | Column 2 Permitted Source | Column 3 Permitted in or Upon | Column 4 Maximum Level of Use and Other Conditions |
L.1 | Lactase | Bacillus subtilis DH617 | (1) Lactose-reducing enzyme preparations | (1) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(2) (naming the flavour) Malted milk; (naming the flavour) Milk; (naming the flavour) Partly skimmed milk; (naming the flavour) Partly skimmed milk with added milk solids; (naming the flavour) Skim milk; (naming the flavour) Skimmed milk with added milk solids | (2) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(3) Milk destined for use in ice cream mix | (3) Good Manufacturing Practice |
(4) Whey | (4) Good Manufacturing Practice |
February 2, 2022 [Sweeteners]
On February 2, 2023, Health Canada issued NOM/ADM-0194 with immediate effect, modifying the List of Permitted Sweeteners to extend the use of erythritol in granola and other ready-to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals and coatings for RTE breakfast cereals. Details are as follows:
Item No. | Column 1 Additive | Column 3 Permitted in or Upon | Column 3 Maximum Level of Use and Other Conditions |
E.1 | Erythritol | (22) Coatings for ready-to-eat breakfast cereals; Ready-to-eat breakfast cereals | (22) 30% in the coating. The amount of erythritol in the finished cereals not to exceed 11.6%. |
We provide full-scale Chinese food market entry services (including product registration, ingredient review, regulatory consultation, customized training, market research, branding strategy). Please contact us to discuss how we can help you by 
