. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/SPS/N/CAN/176
30 June 2003
(03-3475)
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Original:  English/
French
NOTIFICATION
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   CANADA
If applicable, name of local government involved:
2. Agency responsible:  Health Canada
3. Products covered (provide tariff item num ber(s) as specified in national schedules
deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where
applicable):  Sodium tripolyphosphate (ICS:  67.220.20)
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  Not
stated.
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:   Interim Marketing
Authorization regarding the use of Sodium Tripolyphosphate  in Canned Whelks (available
in English and French;  pages 1919-1920)
6. Description of content:
Provision currently exists in the Food and Drug Regulations for the use of the food
additive sodium tripolyphosphate in a wide variety of foods.  Health Canada has received a
submission to permit the use of sodium tripolyphosphate as a sequestering agent in cannedwhelks at a maximum level of use of 5, 000 parts per million (ppm.).  Evaluation of
available data supports the safety and effectiveness of the use of this food additive in this
application.
Therefore, it is the intention of Health Canada to recommend that the  Food and Drug
Regulations be amended to permit the use of sodium tripolyphosphate in canned whelks at
a maximum level of 5,000 ppm., singly or in combination with sodium hexametaphosphateand sodium acid pyrophosphate.
As a means to improve the responsiveness of the regulatory system, an Interim Marketing
Authorization (IMA) is being issued to permit the immediate use of sodium
tripolyphosphate as indicated above while the regulatory process is undertaken to formallyamend the Regulations
.  A revision to this notification will be published at the start of the
amendment process and Members will be given the opportunity at that time to submit
comments on this proposed measure.
7. Objective and rationale:  [  X ] food safety, [   ] animal health, [   ] plant protection,
[   ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease,  [   ] protect territory from other
damage from pestsG/SPS/N/CAN/176
Page 2
8. International standard, gu ideline or recommendation:
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission, [   ] Office International des Epizooties,
[   ] International Plant Prot ection Convention, [ X ] None
If an international standard , guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate
reference and briefly identify deviations:
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Canada Gazette,
Part I, 21 June 2003 (Available in English and French)
10. Proposed date of adoption:  Immediate for this IMA.  For this final regulation, will be
stated in subsequent Revision or Addendum to this notification.
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  Immediate for this IMA.  For this final regulation, will
be stated in subsequent Revision or Addendum to this notification.
12. Final date for comments:  This document is not for comment at this time.  A comment
period will be provided in a Revision of this notification.
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification
authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if
available) of other body:
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notification authority, [ X ] National enquiry point,
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:
The electronic version of the regulatory text can be downloaded at:
http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2003/20030621/pdf/g1-13725.pdf