Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives  to Enable the Use of Tocopherols as a Preservative  
in Dried, Cooked Poultry Meat   
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 Tocopherols as a 
Preservative in Dried, Cooked Poultry Meat  
 
Notice of Modification – Lists of Permitted Food Additives  
Reference Number: [NOM/ADM -0025] 
 
 
 March  21, 201 4  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives  to Enable the Use of Tocopherols as a Preservative  
in Dried, Cooked Poultry Meat   
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  (FDR) . 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.  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 Foo d 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 tocopherols 
as a preservative in a dried cooked poultry meat  product at a maximum level of use of 0.03% of 
fat content. In this application, the food additive is being used as an antioxidant to add resistance 
to fat oxidation and thereby extend the shelf -life of the food.  
 
Tocopherols are already permitted for use in Canada as antioxidant preservatives in various food 
categories, but there is no provision for its u se in dried cooked poultry meat .  
 
The results of Health Canada’s evaluation of available scientific data support the safety of 
tocopherols when used as set out in the table below.  Therefore, Health Canada has modified Part 
4 of the List of Permitted Preservatives  to extend the use of tocopherols by adding the entry 
shown below to the list.  
 
Modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives – Part 4  
 
Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted in or 
upon  Column 3  
Maximum Level of Use and Other 
Conditions  
T.2 Tocopherols 
(alpha -
tocopherol; 
tocopherols 
concentrate, 
mixed)  (6) Dried cooked 
poultry meat  
 (6) 0.03% of fat content  
 
 
Rationale  
 
Health Canada’s Food Directorate completed a pre -market safety assessment of tocopherols.  
The assessment considered microbiological, toxicological, nutritional and chemical aspects of 
tocopherols when used as requested in the food additive submission.     
  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives  to Enable the Use of Tocopherols as a Preservative  
in Dried, Cooked Poultry Meat   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate,  Health Products and Food Branch     3 Based on the results of the safety assessment, Health Canada’s Food Directorate considers that 
the data support the safety of tocopherols when used under the conditions of use set out in the 
table above.  The Department has therefore enabled the use of toc opherols as described in that 
table.  
 
Other Relevant Information  
 
The chicken used to manufacture the dried cooked chicken meat  product is mechanically 
separated poultry meat and is included in the definition of mechanically separated meat set out in 
the Meat Inspection Regulations , 1990.  
 
Dried cooked chicken meat  made from mechanically separated meat is considered to fall under 
the food standard for “prepared poultry meat or a prepared poultry meat by -product” as set out in 
B.22.006 of the Food and Drug Regulations  (FDR ).  Paragraph B.22.006 (b) of this standard 
specifically provides for the use of a class 4 preservative (i.e. an antioxidant) in dried cooked 
poultry meat.  
 
Implementation and Enforcement  
 
The above modification came into force March  21, 2014,  the day it was published in 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 new scientific information on the 
safety in use of any permitted food additive, including tocopherols . 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 " tocopherols in dried cooked poultry meat " 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