Language selection

Government of Canada / Gouvernement du Canada

Search

ARCHIVED - List of Contaminants and other Adulterating Substances in Foods  [2018-01-16]

Notice to Reader:

This is an archived list. Please refer to the most current version of this list.

Date issued: 2017-07-20

The List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods comprises regulatory maximum levels (MLs) that have been established by Health Canada for contaminants and adulterating substances in certain foods (see Part 2 of the list). Part 1 of the list includes prohibitions for certain substances, which stipulate that no amount is considered acceptable in foods, with some exceptions.

This list is incorporated by reference into Division 15 of the Food and Drug Regulations. Additional MLs for other contaminants in foods are available in the List of Maximum Levels for Various Chemical Contaminants in Foods.

To help ensure that Canadians are not exposed to levels of chemical contaminants in their diet that may pose a health concern, as new scientific information becomes available the MLs listed in the table below may be modified by Health Canada's Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate. Changes to MLs are made following consultation with other federal government partners, as applicable, such as the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, and following consultation with relevant stakeholders and the public. Notification of any proposed changes to the list will be provided via a Notice of Proposal (NOP) and parallel World Trade Organization (WTO) notification.

This list is the most current version and was published on 20 July 2017.

List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods

Part 1
Item No. Substance Food

Table 1 footnotes

Table 1 footnote 1

See Part 2

Return to table 1 footnote 1 referrer
1 Mineral oil All foods, except foods requiring the use of mineral oil as part of good manufacturing practiceTable 1 footnote 1
2 Paraffin wax All foods, except chewing gum with a paraffin wax base
3 Petrolatum All foods
4 Coumarin, an extract of tonka beans, the seed of Dipteryx odorata Willd. or Dipteryx oppositifolia Willd. All foods
5 Fatty acids and their salts containing chick-edema factor or other toxic factors All foods
6 Dihydrosafrole All foods
7 Isosafrole All foods
8 Oil of American sassafras from Sassafras albidum (Nutt). Nees All foods
9 Oil of Brazilian sassafras from Ocotea cymbarum H.B.K. All foods
10 Oil of camphor sassafrassy from Cinnamomum camphorum Sieb. All foods
11 Oil of micranthum from Cinnamomum micranthum Hayata All foods
12 Safrole All foods
13 Oil, extract or root of calamus from Acorus calamus L. All foods
14 Ethylene thiourea All foods, except fruits, vegetables and cerealsTable 1 footnote 1
15 Chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, except 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzoparadioxin All foods
16 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzoparadioxin All foods, except fishTable 1 footnote 1
17 Cinnamyl anthranilate All foods
Part 2
Item No. Substance Food Maximum Level
1 Arsenic (1) Fish protein (1) 3.5 p.p.m. (parts per million)
(2) Edible bone meal (2) 1 p.p.m.
(3) Fruit juice; Fruit nectar; Beverages when ready-to-serve; Water in sealed containers other than mineral water or spring water (3) 0.1 p.p.m.table 2 Footnote 1
2 Fluoride (1) Edible bone meal (1) 650 p.p.m.
(2) Fish protein (2) 150 p.p.m.
3 Lead (1) Edible bone meal (1) 10 p.p.m.
(2) Tomato paste; Tomato sauce (2) 1.5 p.p.m.
(3) Fish protein; Whole tomatoes (3) 0.5 p.p.m.
(4) Fruit juice; Fruit nectar; Beverages when ready-to-serve; Water in sealed containers other than mineral water or spring water (4) 0.2 p.p.m.Table 2 Footnote 2
(5) Evaporated milk; Condensed milk; Concentrated infant formula (5) 0.15 p.p.m.
(6) Infant formula when ready-to-serve (6) 0.08 p.p.m.
4 Tin Canned foods 250 p.p.m.
5 Free gossypol Cottonseed flour 450 p.p.m.
6 Aflatoxin Nut; Nut products 15 p.p.b. (parts per billion) calculated on the basis of the nut meat portion.
7 Ethylene thiourea Fruits; Vegetables; Cereals 0.05 p.p.m.
8 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzoparadioxin Fish 20 p.p.t. (parts per trillion)
9 Mineral oil Food requiring the use of mineral oil as part of good manufacturing practice 0.3%

Table 2 Footnotes

Table 2 Footnote 1

Notice of Modification to the List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods to Update the Maximum Level for Arsenic in Water in Sealed Containers - Reference Number: NOM/ADM-C-2017-1

Return to table 2 footnote 1 referrer

Table 2 Footnote 2

Notice of Modification to the List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods to Update the Maximum Levels for Lead in Fruit Juice, Fruit Nectar and Water in Sealed Containers - Reference Number: NOM/ADM-C-2017-2

Return to table 2 footnote 2 referrer

Page details

Date modified: