Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Sweeteners  to Enable the Use of the Sweetener Erythritol to Non-Alcoholic  
Carbonated Water -based Fruit -Flavoured and Sweetened Beverages O ther than Cola Type Beverages   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch     1 
  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Sweeteners  
to Enable the Use of the Sweetener Erythritol to Non-
Alcoholi c Carbonated Water -based Fruit -Flavoured and 
Sweetened Beverages O ther than Cola Type Beverages  
Notice of Modification – Lists of Permitted Food Additives  
Reference Number: [NOM/ADM -0067] 
 
Febr uary  25, 2016   
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Sweeteners  to Enable the Use of the Sweetener Erythritol to Non-Alcoholic  
Carbonated Water -based Fruit -Flavoured and Sweetened Beverages O ther than Cola Type Beverages   
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.  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 Health Canada’s website.  A petitioner 
can request that Health Canada approve a n ew 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 th e 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 erythritol  as a 
sweetener at a maximum level of use of 1.5% in non -alcoholic carbonated water -based fruit -
flavoured sweetened beverages other than cola type beverages.  
 
Erythritol is already permitted for use in Canada as a table -top sweetener and as a sweetener in a 
number of other foods including dietetic beverages, fruit -based smoothie beverages, 
unsta ndardized dairy -based beverages  and unstandardized alcoholic beverages.   
 
The results of Health Canada’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.   
 
Modification 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  (17) Non -alcoholic carbonated water -
based fruit -flavoured and 
sweetened beverages other than 
cola type beverages  (17) 1.5%  
 
Corrective Modifications to the List of Permitted Food Enzymes  
 
A minor corrective modification has also been made to subitem A.01(2) in the List of Permitted 
Sweeteners , which is the provision for the use of acesulfame potas sium in “carbonated 
beverages”.  In order to more accurately describe the intended food category , the category is now 
listed as “unstandardized carbonated beverages”.  
  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Sweeteners  to Enable the Use of the Sweetener Erythritol to Non-Alcoholic  
Carbonated Water -based Fruit -Flavoured and Sweetened Beverages O ther than Cola Type Beverages   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch     3 Rationale  
 
Health Canada’s Food Directorate completed a pre -market safety assessment of the requested 
uses of erythritol . The assessment considered the toxicological, nutritional and technical aspects 
of the requested use of erythritol, and found that the requested use is acceptable from a food 
safety perspective. Therefore, the Department has enabled the requested use of er ythritol by 
modifying the List of Permitted Sweeteners as described in the above table.  
 
Other Relevant Information  
 
The Food and Drug Regulations require that food additives such as erythritol, which do not have 
specifications set out in the Regulations, meet the food -grade specifications set out in the most 
recent edition of the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC). The FCC is a compendium of standards for 
purity and identity for food ingredients, including food additives, which is published by the 
United States Ph armacopeial Convention.   
 
Implementation and Enforcement  
 
The above modification came into force Febr uary 25, 2016 , the day it was published in  the List 
of Permitted Sweeteners . 
 
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 erythritol . Anyone wishing to submit new 
scientifi c information on the use of this food  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 word “ erythritol ” 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 0L2  
E-mail:  bcs-bipc@hc -sc.gc.ca