Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gel ling, Stabilizing or  
Thickening  Agents  to Enable  the Use of Tara Gum in Various  Foods   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    1 
  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted 
Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening 
Agents  to Enable the Use of  Tara Gum in Various 
Foods  
 
Notice of Modification – Lists of Permitted Food Additives  
Reference Number: NOM/ADM -0114 
May 14, 2018  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gel ling, Stabilizing or  
Thickening  Agents  to Enable  the Use of Tara Gum in Various  Foods   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    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 Per mitted 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 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 received a food additive submission seeking approval for the use of tara gum  as 
an emulsifying, gelling, stabilizing and thickening agent. The foods in which it is intended to be 
used are bread as well as the same foods, or foods that fall within the same food categories, as 
those to which carob bean gum (locust bean gum) was permitted1 to be added at the time of 
submission receipt . 
 
Health C anada determined that information related to the safety and efficacy of ta ra gum 
supports its use as set out in the table below. Since this is a food additive that was not previously 
permitted for use in Canada, Health Canada published a notice of the Depa rtment’s intent to 
enable the use of tara gum, titled Health Canada’s Proposal to Enable the Use of Tara Gum as 
an Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing and Thickening Agent in Unstandardized Foods and Certain 
Standardized Foods – Reference Number: NOP/ADP -0027 . 
 
The proposal , which  was published on August 23, 2017 , was open for public comment for 102 
days. N o new scientific information was submitted to the Department as a result of this proposal .  
Since  the conclusion of the evaluation remain s as described in the proposal , Health Canada has 
modified the  List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents  as 
indicate d below.  
 
Modification to the List of Permitted  Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents  
 
Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted in or Upon  Column 3 
Maximum Level of Use and 
Other Conditions  
T.2B  Tara Gum (1) 
Bread; Cream; French dressing; 
Mustard pickles; (naming the (1) 
Good Manufacturing Practice  
                                              
1 Mincemeat was added to the food listing s for carob bean gum on September 26, 2017 [NOM/ADM -0104 ], after 
receipt of the food additiv e submission for tara gum and after the publication , on August 23, 2017,  of the Notice of 
Proposal for tara gum [NOP/ADP -0027].  Mincemeat was thus not among the foods included in the food additive 
submission on tara gum.   
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gel ling, Stabilizing or  
Thickening  Agents  to Enable  the Use of Tara Gum in Various  Foods   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    3 Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted in or Upon  Column 3 
Maximum Level of Use and 
Other Conditions  
flavour) Milk; (naming the 
flavour) Partly skimmed milk; 
(naming the flavour) Partly 
skimmed milk with added milk 
solids; (naming the flavour) Skim 
milk; (naming the flavour) Skim 
milk with added milk solids; 
Relishes; Salad dressing  
(2) 
Cottage cheese; Creamed cottage 
cheese  (2) 
0.5% in accordance with the 
requirements of sections 
B.08.051 and B.08.052  
(3) 
Ice cream mix  (3) 
0.5%  in accordance with the 
requirements of section B.08.061  
(4) 
Ice milk mix  (4) 
0.5%  in accordance with the 
requirements of section B.08.071  
(5) 
Calorie -reduced margarine  (5) 
0.5%. If used  in combination 
with other food additives 
permitted by this list in this food 
except gelatin, lecithin, 
monoglycerides, mono - and 
diglycerides, and sorbitan 
tristearate, the total amount not 
to exceed 0.5%  
(6) 
Sherbet  (6) 
0.75%. If used in combination 
with other stabilizing agents, the 
total amount not to exceed 0.75%  
(7) 
Sour cream  (7) 
0.5%. If used in combination 
with other food additives  
permitted by this list in sour 
cream except monoglycerides, 
mono - and diglycerides, and 
sodium phosphate dibasic, the 
total amount not to exceed 0.5%   
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gel ling, Stabilizing or  
Thickening  Agents  to Enable  the Use of Tara Gum in Various  Foods   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    4 Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted in or Upon  Column 3 
Maximum Level of Use and 
Other Conditions  
(8) 
Unstandardized foods  (8) 
Good Manufacturing Practice  
(9) 
Cold -pack cheese food; Cold -
pack cheese food with (naming 
the added ingredients); Cold -
pack (naming the variety) cheese 
with (naming the added 
ingredients ); Cream cheese; 
Cream cheese with (naming the 
added ingredients)  (9) 
0.5%. If used in combination 
with other food additives 
permitted by this list in these 
foods , the total amount not to 
exceed 0.5%  
(10) 
Cream cheese spread; Cream 
cheese spread with (naming the 
added ingredients)  (10) 
0.5%. If used in combination 
with other food additives 
permitted by this list in these 
foods  except phosphate salts, 
citrate salts, tartrate salts, or 
sodium gluconate, the total 
amount not to exceed 0.5%  
(11) 
Processed cheese spread; 
Processed cheese spread with 
(naming the added ingredients)  (11) 
0.5%. If used in combination 
with other food additives 
permitted by this list in these 
foods  except citrate salts, 
lecithin, monoglycerides, mono - 
and diglycerides, phosphate salts, 
sodium gluconate, or tartr ate 
salts, the total amount not to 
exceed 0.5%  
 
The wording in Column 3 for sub -items (3), (4), (5) and (9) shown above differs from what was 
presented in the Notice of Proposal (NOP) and the foods that were grouped together under sub -
item (9) in the NOP have been separated into three sub -items, shown above as sub -items (9), 
(10), and (11). The provisions however function in the same manner as proposed in the NOP.  
 
For sub -items (3) and (4), for ice cream mix and ice milk mix respectively, it was proposed that 
the in -combination rule that already exists within the standards for each of these foods be 
expressed within the List itself, without reference to the respecti ve standards. However, the 
wording in Column 3 for these foods has been changed in order to maintain consistency with the 
existing wording of the conditions of use for other stabilizing agents permitted in these two  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gel ling, Stabilizing or  
Thickening  Agents  to Enable  the Use of Tara Gum in Various  Foods   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    5 foods. The conditions of use for ta ra gum in ice cream mix and ice milk mix therefore refer back 
to their respective standards ( B.08.061  and B.08.071 ), wherein are found the in -combination 
rules for stabilizing agents.  
 
For calorie -reduced margarine (sub -item 5), there is also an in -combination rule that ap pears 
within its standard. In order for this rule to also apply to ta ra gum, the in -combination rule must 
be slightly reworded and placed in the List itself, as was proposed.  However, the proposed 
wording did not fully reproduce the existing in -combinatio n rule. Although it excluded gelatin 
and lecithin from this rule, monoglycerides, mono - and diglycerides, and sorbitan tristearate 
must also be excluded. These three additives are permitted in calorie -reduced margarine (by 
virtue of being permitted in stan dardized margarine) but are not subject to this in -combination 
rule. This omission has been addressed in the listing shown in the table above.  
 
With respect to the various types of standardized cheeses, as for other similar provisions in the 
List, the proposed in -combination rule under sub -item (9) for ta ra gum referred back to the 
relevant standards of Division 8 of the Regulations. The in -combin ation rules that currently 
appear in these cheese standards refer to each of the individual additives subject to the in -
combination rule; however the standard will not be updated to refer to ta ra gum. Therefore, 
Health Canada’s Food Directorate  has reword ed the in -combination rule to remove any 
ambiguity with respect to how the existing in -combination rule applies  when tar a gum is used. 
The existing in -combination rules have therefore been duplicated in the List such that reference 
back to the standards is not required. This was facilitated by grouping the various types of cheese 
into three sub -items (9), (10), and (11), as shown above.  
 
Rationale  
 
Health Canada’s F ood Directorate completed a pre market safety assessment of the requested 
uses of  tara gum . The assessment did not identify any chemical, microbiological, nutritional, or 
toxicological safety concerns.  Therefore, the Department has enabled the requested uses of tara 
gum by modifying the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents  
as shown in the above  table.  
 
Other Relevant Information  
 
The Food and Drug Regulations  require that food additives such as tara gum that do not have 
food-grade specifications set out in Part B of the Regulations meet the most recent food -grade 
specifications set out in 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.  The Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications , which 
contains specifications prepared by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives 
(JECFA) , is published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.   
  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gel ling, Stabilizing or  
Thickening  Agents  to Enable  the Use of Tara Gum in Various  Foods   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    6 Notification – Summary of Comments  
 
In res ponse to  the notice Health Canada’s Proposal to Enable the Use of Tara Gum as an 
Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing and Thickening Agent in Unstandardized Foods and Certain 
Standardized Foods – Reference Number: NOP/ADP -0027 , Health Canada received one 
comment supporting the proposal to allow tara gum in  unstandardized foods at levels of use 
consistent with good manufacturing practice.  
 
Implementation and Enforcement  
 
The above modification came into force May 14, 2018 , the day it was published in  the List of 
Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents . 
 
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency 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 any new scientific information on 
the safety in use of any food additive, including tara gum .  Anyone wishing to submit new 
scientific information on the use of this additive or to submit any inquiries may do so in writing, 
by regular mail or electronically.   If you wish to contact the Food Directorate electronically, 
please use the words " tara gum  (NOM -0114 )" 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 K1 A 0L2  
E-mail: bcs-bipc@hc -sc.gc.ca