Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives  to Enable the Use of Carnobacterium  
maltaromaticum  CB1 as an Antimicrobial Preservative in Certain Meat and Poultry Meat Products   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    1 
  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted 
Preservatives  to Enable the Use of 
Carnobacterium maltaromaticum  CB1 as an 
Antimicrobial Preservative in Certain Meat and 
Poultry Meat Products  
 
Notice of Modification – Lists of Permitted Food Additives  
Reference Number: NOM/ADM -0097 
June  01, 2017  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives  to Enable the Use of Carnobacterium  
maltaromaticum  CB1 as an Antimicrobial Preservative in Certain Meat and Poultry Meat Products   
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 Permitted Food Additives  that are 
incorporated by reference in the MAs and published on Hea lth Canada’s 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 pr emarket 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 requesting that the bacterium 
Carnobacterium maltaromaticum  strain CB1  (C. maltaromaticum  CB1) be permitted for use to 
limit or inhibit the growth of Listeria monocytogenes  in various meat  and poultry  products . 
Preparation s of C. maltaromaticum  CB1 would be comprised of either a mixture of viabl e 
lyophilized cells and pasteurized non -viable lyophilized cells or of  pasteurized non -viable 
lyophilized cells  only. These preparations exert an antimicrobial effect due to the presence of 
carno bacteriocin, a bacteriocin peptide  that is produced by C. maltaromaticum CB1. 
 
C. maltaromaticum  CB1 is already permitted for use as a preservative on four standardized meat 
products, namely  vacuum -packed  wieners , vacuum -packed sliced roast beef , vacuum -packed 
sliced cooked ham , and vacuum -packed sliced cooked turkey  at a maximum level of use 
consistent with Good Manufacturing Practice . The results of Health Canada ’s evaluat ion of  
scientific data support enabling the use of C. malt aromaticum CB1 at this same level of use in 
various  other standardized meat products and standardized poultry meat products . Therefore, 
Health Canada has modified Part 2 of the List of Permitted Preservatives  to enable the use of 
C. maltaromaticum  CB1 in various standardized meat and poultry products as shown in the List.  
 
Subitems (1) through (4) of item C.2 in Part 2, which had listed the four specific vacuum -packed 
products (wiene rs, sliced roast beef, sliced cooked ham, and sliced cooked turkey) , are redundant 
because the use of C. maltaromaticum  CB1 in these specific products is enabled under broader 
food categories found in the two new subitems, (5) and (6), that have been added  to the List. 
Subitems (1) through (4) of item C .2 have therefore been removed . 
 
The modification to Part 2 of the List of Permitted Preservatives  is shown in the table below.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives  to Enable the Use of Carnobacterium  
maltaromaticum  CB1 as an Antimicrobial Preservative in Certain Meat and Poultry Meat Products   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    3 Modification to Part 2 of the List of Permitted Preservatives  
Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  
 Column 2  
Permitted in or Upon  Column 3  
Maximum Level of Use and 
Other Conditions  
C.2 Carnobacterium 
maltaromaticum 
CB1 (1) [Removed, 2017 -06-01, (See NOM/ADM -0097)] 
(2) [Removed, 2017 -06-01, (See NOM/ADM -0097)] 
(3) [Removed, 2017 -06-01, (See NOM/ADM -0097)] 
(4) [Removed, 2017 -06-01, (See NOM/ADM -0097)] 
(5) 
Brawn; Headcheese; Luncheon meat; 
Meat by -product loaf; Meat  loaf; Meat 
lunch; Potted meat; Potted meat by -
product; Prepared meat, except uncooked 
preserved meat (Division 14); Prepared 
meat by -product, except uncooked 
preserved meat by -product; Preserved 
meat, except uncooked preserved meat 
(Division 14); Preserve d meat by -
product, except uncooked preserved meat 
by-product; Sausage, except uncooked 
cured sausage and uncooked fermented 
sausage  (5) 
Good Manufacturing Practice  
 
(6) 
Prepared poultry meat, except uncooked 
preserved poultry meat; Prepared poultry 
meat  by-product, except uncooked 
preserved poultry meat by -product; 
Preserved poultry meat, except uncooked 
preserved poultry meat; Preserved 
poultry meat by -product, except 
uncooked preserved poultry meat by -
product  (6) 
Good Manufacturing Practice  
 
The foods identified in new subitem (5) are various types of meat products for which there are 
standards of identity and composition set out in Division 14 of Part B of the Regulations . The 
foods identified in new subitem (6) are poultry products for which  there are standards of identity 
and composition set out in Division 22, Part B of the Regulations. The terminology “prepared 
meat” and “preserved meat” is used both in Division 14 (“Meat, Its Preparations and Products”)  
and in Division 21 (“Marine and Fre sh Water Animal Products”). Therefore, “Division 14” is 
indicated after these terms in order to be clear that they do  not refer to fish products.  
 
For many of the listings, the use of C. maltaromaticum  CB1 in the uncooked version of the listed 
food is specifically excluded on the basis that data demonstrating the  safety of this additive was 
not provided for the uncooked version of the food.    
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives  to Enable the Use of Carnobacterium  
maltaromaticum  CB1 as an Antimicrobial Preservative in Certain Meat and Poultry Meat Products   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    4 Rationale  
 
Health Canada’s Food Directorate completed a premarket safety and efficacy assessment of the 
requested uses of C. maltaromaticum CB1. The assessment focused on microbiological and 
toxicological food safety aspects, and  found that the available data support ed the uses of this 
preservative as shown in the table above. Health Canada  has therefore  enabled the se uses of 
C. maltaromaticum  CB1 by modifying Item C.2 in Part 2 of the List of Permitted Preservatives  
as shown  in the above table.   
 
Other Relevant Information  
 
The Food and Drug Regulations  require that food additives such as C. maltaromaticum CB1 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 b y the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives 
(JECFA) , is published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.  
 
Implementation and Enforcement  
 
The abov e modification came into force June  01, 2017 , the day it was published in  Part 2 of the  
List of Permitted Preservatives . 
 
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 C. maltaromaticum CB1. Anyone wishin g to 
submit new scientific 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 words "Carnobacterium mal taromaticum CB1"  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