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
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
|
Report a problem or mistake on this page
- Date modified: