Notice of Modification to the List of 
Permitted pH Adjusting Agents, Acid -
Reacting Materials and Water 
Correcting Agents  to Ext end the Use of 
Malic Acid to Honey Wine  
Notice of Modification  – Lists of Permitted Food 
Additives  
Reference Number: NOM/ADM-0191 
September  23, 2022 
 Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted pH Adjusting Agents, Acid -Reacting Materials and Water Correcting Agents  to Enable 
the Use of Malic Acid in Hone y Wine  | 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 malic 
acid as a pH adjusting agent  in honey wine including honey wine to which fruits are added , and mead . The 
requested maximum level of use i s consistent w ith Good Manufacturing Practice  (GMP)1. 
Honey wine is subject to a standard of identity and composition (section  B.02.106 ) in the Regulations. It is the 
product obtained from the alcoholic fermentation of an aqueous solution of honey. Other types of fermented 
alcoholic honey beverages  that do not comply with this standard , such as mead, or honey wine with added 
fruit s, are re gulated as unstandardized foods . As such, unstandardized honey wines  may contain  malic acid as 
a pH adjusting agent at a level consistent with GMP  as set out for unstandardized foods in general in existing 
sub-item M.8( 4) in the List of Permitted pH Adjust ing Agents, Acid -Reacting Materials and Water Correcting 
Agents . 
Malic acid is already permitted for use in Canada as a pH adjusting agent in  ‘grape ’ wine2 at a maximum level 
consistent with G MP. 
The results of the Food Directorate’s evaluation of availabl e scientific data support the safety of malic acid as 
a pH adjusting agent  when used as set out in the table below. Therefore, Health Canada has modified the List 
of Permitted pH Adjusting Agents, Acid -Reacting Materials and Water Correcting Agents  to enable  the use of  
malic acid  by adding the text in the entry shown below to the list (bold font not used for the new text in the 
list). 
 
Modification to the List of Permitted pH Adjusting Agents, Acid -Reacting Materials 
and Water Correcting Agents  
Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted in or Upon  Column 3  
Maximum Level of Use and Other 
Conditions  
M.8 Malic acid  (5) 
Honey wine; Wine  (5) 
Good Manufacturing Practice  
                                                             
1 “Good Manufacturing Practice” means that the amount of the pH adjusting agent  that is added to the food in 
manufacturing and processing does not exceed the amount required to accomplish the purpose for which it has 
been added, as defined in the Marketing Authorization for Food Additives That May Be Used as pH Adjusting 
Agents, Acid -Reacting Materials or Water Correcting Agents . 
2 Wine is subject to a standard of identit y and composition under section B.02.100  of the Regulations.  Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted pH Adjusting Agents, Acid -Reacting Materials and Water Correcting Agents  to Enable 
the Use of Malic Acid in Hone y Wine  | 3 
 Rationale  
Health Canada’s Food Directorat e completed a premarket safety assessment of  malic acid  for use as pH 
adjusting agent in honey wine . The Department  conclud ed that information related to allergenicity, 
chemistry and toxicology supports the safety of malic acid  for its requested use s. Therefore, the Departmen t 
has enabled the requested use s of malic acid  by modifying the existing subitem M.8(5) of the List of 
Permitted pH Adjusting Agents, Acid -Reacting Materials and Water Correcting Agents  as shown  above.  
Other Relevant Information  
Food additives such as malic acid  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 the  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 modification came into force September 23, 2022, the day it was published in List of Permitted pH 
Adjusting Agents, Acid -Reacting Materials and Water Correcting Agents . 
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for the enforcement of the Food and Drugs Act and its 
associated reg ulations 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 malic acid.  Anyone wishing to submit an inquiry or new scienti fic 
information on the use of this additive may do so in writing, by regular mail or electronically. If you wish to 
contact the Food Directorate electro nically, please use the words " malic acid  (NOM -0191)" in the subject line 
of your e -mail.  
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate  
251 Sir Frederick Banting Driveway  
Tunney’s Pastur e, PL: 2202C  
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9  
E-mail: bcs-bipc@hc -sc.gc.ca