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