G/SPS/N/CAN/1231  
 
15 January 2019  
(19-0232) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English/French  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member: CANADA  
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible: Health Canada  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in addition, 
where applicable): Cyanide in apricot kernels (ICS Code: 67.080)  
4. Regions or countries likely to be af fected, to the extent relevant or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners  
[ ] Specific regions or countries:  
5. Title of the notified document: Health Canada's Proposal to Add Cyanide in Apricot 
Kernels to the List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods . 
Language(s): English and French.  Number of pages: 7 
6. Description of content: Food contaminants and other adulterating substances are 
chemicals that may be present in foods at levels that could impact the overall safety 
and/or qualit y of foods. These substances can either be inadvertently or naturally present 
in foods or in some cases intentionally added for fraudulent purposes. Establishing a 
prohibition or a maximum level (ML) are forms of risk management that may be employed 
to eliminate or reduce exposure to a particular chemical contaminant in foods. Canadian 
prohibitions and MLs for chemical contaminants in food are set out in Part 1 and Part 2, 
respectively, of the List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods,  
which is incorporated by reference into section B.15.001 of Division 15 of the Food and 
Drug Regulations (the Regulations). Maximum levels are also set out in the List of 
Maximum Levels for Various Chemical Contaminants in Foods, which is maintained on 
Health Canada's website. All prohibitions and MLs for contaminants in food are established 
by Health Canada's Food Directorate based on scientific evidence and in consultation with 
stakeholders and are enforceable by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.  
New information regarding how raw apricot kernels are being sold in Canada is available. 
There are also indications that consumers may not be aware of or follow Health Canada's 
existing consumption advisory for adults to consume no more than three bitter apric ot 
kernels a day and that they should not be consumed by children. This suggests that 
further risk management actions are required to address any potential health risks 
associated with acute cyanide poisoning from the consumption of raw apricot kernels, 
which can lead to serious adverse health effects.  
The purpose of this notice is to seek feedback on three risk management options to 
protect Canadians from the risk of cyanide exposure due to the consumption of apricot 
kernels.  
7. Objective and rationale: [ X] food safety, [  ] animal health, [  ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.  G/SPS/N/CAN/1231  
 
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  8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) :  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
[X] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?  
[ ] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:  
9. Other relevant documents and lan guage(s) in which these are available: 
Health  Canada's Food and Nutrition - "Public Involvement and Partnerships" Website, 
posted 19 December 2018 (available in English and French):  
https://www.canada.ca/en/health -canada/services/food -nutrition/public -involvement -
partnerships.html  (English)  
https://www.canada.ca/fr/sante -canada/services/aliments -nutrition/participation -public -
partenariats.html  (French)   
10. Proposed date of adopti on (dd/mm/yy) : The proposed ML will be legally enabled 
once it is published in Health Canada's  List of Contaminants and Other A dulterating 
Substances in Foods (https://www.canada.ca/en/health -canada/services/food -
nutrition/food -safety/chemical -contaminants/contaminants -adulterating -substances -
foods.html ). 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) :  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : The ML noted in this document comes into force the day on which 
the modifications are made to the  List of Contaminants and Other A dulterating Substances 
in Foods(https://www.canada.ca/en/health -canada/services/food -nutrition/food -
safety/chemical -contam inants/contaminants -adulterating -substances -foods.html ). 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments: [  ] Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 4 March 2019  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [  ] National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:  G/SPS/N/CAN/1231  
 
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  13. Text(s) available from: [  ] National Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
The electronic version of the regulatory text can be downloaded at:  
https://www.canada.ca/en/health -canada/services/food -nutrition/public -involvement -
partnerships/proposal -update -maximum -levels -cyanide -apricot -kernals/document.html  
(English)  
https://www.canada.ca/fr/sante -canada/services/aliment s-nutrition/participation -public -
partenariats/proposition -visant -mettre -jour-concentrations -maximales -cyanure -
amandes -apricots/document.html  (French)  
 
Canada's SPS and TBT Notification Authority and Enquiry Point  
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Tel: +(343) 203 4273  
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