Notice of Modification to the  List of 
Permitted Anticaking Agents to Extend  
the Use of Cellulose and 
Microcrystalline Cellulose to Cubed, 
Diced, Grated or  Shredded Plant-based  
Products that Resemble Cheese  
Notice of Modification  – Lists of Permitted Food 
Additives  
Reference Number: NOM/ADM-0180 
March 1, 2022 
 Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Anticaking Agents to Extend the Use of Cellulose and Microcrystalline Cellulose to 
Cubed, Diced, Grated or Shredded Plant -based Products that Resemble Cheese – Reference Number: NOM/ADM -0180| 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 approve a 
new additive , a new source  or a new condition of use for an already approved 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 data 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 approval for the use of  
cellulose  as an anticaking agent in non-dairy  (i.e., plant -based) cheese flavoured preparations that are grated, 
shredded, cubed or diced . The requested maximum level of use is 2.0% .   
Cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose have the same CAS RN (9004 -34-6) and are already permitted as 
anticaking agents in cubed, diced, grated or shredded cheddar cheese and other standardized variet ies of 
cheese, as well as unstandardized cubed, diced, grated or shredded cheese preparations . The petitioner had 
no objection to extend ing the request to include microcrystalline cellulose.  
The results of the Food Directorate’s evaluation of available scientific  data support the safety of  cellulose and 
microcrystalline cellulose  for use as anticaking agents in plant -based products that resemble cheese that are 
cubed, diced, grated or shredded . Therefore, Health Canada has modified the List of Permitted Anticaking 
Agents  to extend  the use of cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose by adding the entries shown below to the 
List. 
 
Modification to the List of Permitted Anticaking Agents   
Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted in or Upon  Column 3  
Maximum Level of Use and Other 
Conditions  
C.5 Cellulose  (4) 
Cubed, diced, grated or shredded 
plant -based products that 
resemble cheese  (4) 
If used singly, the amount not to 
exceed 2.0% . If used in  
combination with microcrystalline 
cellulose, the total combined 
amount not to exceed 2.0%.  
M.5 Microcrystalline 
Cellulose  (4) 
Cubed, diced, grated or shredded 
plant -based products that 
resemble cheese  (4) 
If used singly, the amount  not to 
exceed 2.0%. If used in 
combination with cellulose, the 
total combined amount not to 
exceed 2.0%.  Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Anticaking Agents to Extend the Use of Cellulose and Microcrystalline Cellulose to 
Cubed, Diced, Grated or Shredded Plant -based Products that Resemble Cheese – Reference Number: NOM/ADM -0180| 3 
 Rationale  
Health Canada’s Food Directorate completed a premarket safety assessment of cellulose and microcrystalline 
cellulose  for use as anticaking agent s in cubed, diced, grated or shredded plant -based products that resemble 
cheese . The Department  conclud ed that information related to allergenicity, chemistry, microbiology , 
nutrition  and toxicology supports the safety of cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose  for this  use. Therefore, 
the Department has enabled th is use of cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose  by adding to the List of 
Permitted Anticaking Agents  the new entries shown in the above table .  
Other Relevant Information  
Food additives such as cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose 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 recent  
edition of the  Food Chemicals Codex  or the Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications . 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 th e Combined 
Compendium of Food Additive Specifications  are prepared by the Joint 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 modifi cation came into force March 1, 2022 the day it was published in  the List of Permitted 
Anticaking Agents . 
The Canadian Food Inspection Agenc y is responsible for the enforcement of the Food and Drugs Act and its 
associated regulations 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, including cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose . Anyone wishing to submit an 
inquiry or new scienti fic information on the use of these  additi ves may do so in writing, by regular mail or 
electronicall y. If you wish to contact the Food Directorate electronically, please use the words " cellulose and 
microcrystalline cellulose  (NOM -0180)" 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