Notice of Modification to the List of 
Permitted Sweeteners  to Extend  the Use 
of Erythritol  to Ready -to-eat Breakfast 
Cereals  and their Coatings  
Notice of Modification  – Lists of Permitted Food 
Additives  
Reference Number: NOM/ADM-0194 
February 2, 2023  
 Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Sweeteners  to Extend  the Use of Erythritol  to Ready -to-eat Breakfast C ereals  and 
their Coatings  | 2 
 Summary  
Food additives are regulated in Canada under Marketing Authorizations  (MAs) issued by the Minister of 
Health and the Food and Drug Regulations  (Regulations) . Approved food additives and their permitted 
conditions of use are set out in the Lists of Permitted Food Additives  that are incorporated by reference in 
the MAs and published on the Canada.ca website. A petitioner can request that Health Canada a uthoriz e a 
new ad ditive , or a new source  or a new condition of use for an already permitted  food additive , by filing a 
food additive submission with the Department's Food Directorate. Health Canada uses this premarket 
approval process to determine whether the scientific da ta support the safety of food additives when used 
under specified conditions in foods sold in Canada.  
Health Canada’s Food Directorate received a food additive submission seeking authorization  for the use of 
erythritol as a sweetener  in granola1 and other  ready -to-eat (RTE) breakfast cereals , and coatings for RTE 
breakfast cereals. Th e requested maximum level of use is  11.6%  in the ready -to-eat breakfast cereals and 
30% in the coating s. The amount of erythritol in the resulting coated RTE breakfast cereals would  not exceed 
11.6%.  
Erythritol is already permitted for use in Canada as a sweetener in various foods . The results of the Food 
Directorate’s evaluation of available scientific data support the safety of erythritol  when used as requested 
by the petitioner . Therefore, Health Canada has modified the List of Permitted Sweeteners  to extend the use 
of erythritol  by adding the entry shown below to the list  (bold  font to illustrate the addition) . 
 
Modifica tion to the List of Permitted Sweeteners  
Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted in or Upon  Column 3  
Maximum Level of Use and Other 
Conditions  
E.1 Erythritol  (22) 
Coatings for ready -to-eat 
breakfast cereals; Ready -to-eat 
breakfast cereals  (22) 
30% in the coating. The amount 
of erythritol in the finished 
cereals not to exceed 11.6%.  
Rationale  
Health Canada’s Food Directorate completed a premarket safety assessment of erythritol  for use  in granola 
and other RTE breakfast cereals  as requested by the petitioner . The Food Directorate considered  
allergenicity, chemistry, microbiology, nutrition, and toxicology  in the assessment. The results of the 
assessment  support the safety of erythritol  for its requested use.  Therefore, Health Canada  has enabled the 
requested use of erythritol  by adding to the List of Permitted  Sweeteners  the new entr y shown  in the above 
table.  
 
1 For the purpose of the Lists of Permitted Food Additives , granola is included in  the broader ready -to-eat 
breakfast cereals  food category.  Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Sweeteners  to Extend  the Use of Erythritol  to Ready -to-eat Breakfast C ereals  and 
their Coatings  | 3 
 Other Relevant Information  
Food additives and other ingredients generally must be declared in the list of ingredients on the label of pre -
packaged foods sold in Canada.  When  any sugar alcohol, including  erythritol , is present in a food, its total 
content must be declared in grams per stated serving size, either in the Nutrition Facts table2 or on the label 
for products that do not carry a Nutrition Facts table3. These regulatory requirements are intended to help 
consumers  self-regulate the amount of  erythritol they consume  to avoid possible gastrointestinal discomfort 
and laxative effects  that can be caused by  excess ive consumption of sugar alcohols . 
Food additives such as erythritol  are required to meet food -grade specifications set out in Part B of the 
Regulations , where such specifications exist,  or those set out in the  most rece nt edition of the  Food 
Chemicals Codex  or the Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications  where there are no 
specifications in Part B . The Food Chemicals Codex  is a compendium of standards for purity and identity for 
food ingredients, including food additives, published by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention. 
Specifications in the  Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications  are prepared by the Joi nt 
FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA)  and published by the Food and Agriculture 
Orga nization of the United Nations.  
Implementation and Enforcement  
The above modification came into force February  2, 2023, the day it was published in List of Permitted 
Sweeteners .  
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for the enf orcement of the Food and Drugs Act and its 
associated regu lations with respect to foods.  
Contact Information  
Health Canada's Food Directorate is committed to reviewing new scientific information on the safety in use of 
any permitted  food additive . Anyone wishing to submit an inquiry or new scientifi c information on the use of 
a permitted food  additive may do so i n writing, by regular mail or electronically. If you wish to contact the 
Food Directorate electro nically  about erythritol , please  use the words " erythritol  (NOM -0194)" in the subject 
line of your e -mail.  
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate  
251 Sir Frederick Banting Driveway  
Tunney’s Pasture, PL: 2202C  
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9  
E-mail: bcs-bipc@hc -sc.gc.ca  
 
 
2 Section B.01.402  of the Food and Drug Regulations . 
3 Section B.01.021  of the Food and Drug Regulations .