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[Updated] Canada Food Additives in 2023: Health Canada to Amend the Use of Aluminum-Containing Food Additives

This article tracks and collects the regulatory updates on food additives in 2023. Latest update: On March 9, 2023, Health Canada proposed to amend the regulations on the use of aluminum-containing food additives.

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] 
February 27, 2023 [Food additives]
February 22, 2023 [Food enzymes]
February 6, 2022 [Food enzymes]
February 2, 2022 [Sweeteners]


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