Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Accepted Uses to Enable the Use of Lactococcus lactis DSM 11037  
as an Oxygen Scavenger in Certain Modified Atmosphere -Packaged (MAP) or Vacuum -Packaged Preserved Meat Products   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch     1 
  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Food 
Additives with Other Accepted Uses to Enable the Use of 
Lactococcus lactis DSM 11037 as an Oxygen Scavenger in 
Certain Modified Atmosphere -Packaged (MAP) or 
Vacuum -Packaged Preserved Meat Products  
Notice of Modification – Lists of Permitted Food Additives   
Reference Number: [NOM/ADM -0095] 
 
 
 May 3, 2017   
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Accepted Uses to Enable the Use of Lactococcus lactis DSM 11037  
as an Oxygen Scavenger in Certain Modified Atmosphere -Packaged (MAP) or Vacuum -Packaged Preserved 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 .  Approved food additives and t heir 
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 new additive or a new condition of use for an already 
approved food additive by filing a food additive submissio n 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 a preparation 
containing a live culture of the bacterium Lactococcus lactis (L. lactis ) DSM 11037 for use as an 
oxygen scavenger in certain modified atmosphere -packaged (MAP)  or vacuum -packaged non -
shelf -stable cured meat products.  
 
The results of Health Canada’s evaluation of available scientific data support the safety and 
efficacy of L. lactis  DSM 11037 when used for this purpose.  Since this is a food additive that 
was no t previously permitted for use in Canada, Health Canada published a Notice of Proposal to 
Enable the Use of L. lactis DSM 11037 as an Oxygen Scavenger in Certain Modified 
Atmos phere -Packaged (MAP) and Vacuum -Packaged Preserved Meat Products  on September 
20, 2016, requesting comments.  The comment period was open for 75 days, during which no 
new scientific information about this additive was submitted to the Department in respons e to 
this publication.  Since the conclusions of the evaluation remain as described in the Notice of 
Proposal, Health Canada has modified the List of Permitted Food Addit ives with Other Accepted 
Uses  as indicated below.   
 
Modification to the List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Accepted Uses   
 
Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted in or Upon  Column 3  
Purpose of 
Use Column 4  
Maximum Level of 
Use and Other 
Conditions  
L.01 Lactococcus 
lactis DSM 
11037  Modified atmosphere -packed 
preserved meat (Division 14); 
Modified atmosphere -packed 
preserved meat by -product; 
Modified atmosphere -packed 
preserved sausage; Vacuum -
packed preserved meat (Division 
14); Vacuum -packed preserved 
meat by -product; Vacuum -
packed preserved sausage  Oxygen 
scavenger  Good Manufacturing 
Practice   
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Accepted Uses to Enable the Use of Lactococcus lactis DSM 11037  
as an Oxygen Scavenger in Certain Modified Atmosphere -Packaged (MAP) or Vacuum -Packaged Preserved Meat Products   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch     3  
Rationale  
 
Health Canada’s Food Directorate assessed the safety and efficacy of L. lactis DSM 11037  for its 
requested use in certain modified atmosphere -packaged (MAP) or vacuum -packaged non -shelf -
stable cured meat products.   
 
L. lactis DSM 11037 has a high oxygen consumption capacity and a very low acidification 
profile compared to the wild type strain of L. lactis  subspecies lactis .  As a result, L. lactis DSM 
11037 can be used to  stabilize the oxygen level throughout the shelf -life of preserved meat 
products that are packaged in Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) or that are vacuum -
packed.  MAP and vacuum packaging displace or remove oxygen within the packaging. L. lactis  
DSM 11037 is intended to be used in MAP or vacuum -packaged prese rved cured meat products 
that have a red colour due to added nitrites.  The bacterial culture helps to maintain exceptionally 
low oxygen levels in the package, thereby slowing or preventing colour fading of the preserved 
meat that would otherwise result fr om photo -oxidation.  
 
L. lactis  bacteria have a long history of safe use in food. Data was submitted to support the safety 
in use of L. lactis  DSM 11037 from both a microbiological and molecular biological perspective. 
Based on the results of the safety as sessment, Health Canada’s Food Directorate considers that 
the data support the safety of L. lactis DSM 11037  when used under the conditions set out in the 
table above.  The Department has therefore enabled the use of L. lactis DSM 11037  as described 
in the  table.  
 
Other Relevant Information  
 
The Food and Drug Regulations  require that food additives such as L. lactis DSM 11037  that do 
not have specifications set out in Part B of the Regulations meet the most recent 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 
Conventi on. The Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications  is prepared by the 
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and published by the Food and 
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.  
 
Notification – Summary of Comments  
 
In response to the  Notice of Proposal to Enable the Use of L. lactis DSM 11037 as an Oxygen 
Scavenger in Certain Modified Atmosphere -Packaged (MAP) and Vacuum -Packaged Preserved 
Meat Products , published on September 20, 2016, Health Canada did not receive any comments 
during the 75 -day comment period.   
 
  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Accepted Uses to Enable the Use of Lactococcus lactis DSM 11037  
as an Oxygen Scavenger in Certain Modified Atmosphere -Packaged (MAP) or Vacuum -Packaged Preserved Meat Products   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch     4 Implementation and Enforcement  
 
The abov e modification came into force May 3, 2017 , the day it was published in the List of 
Permitted Food Additives with Other Accepted Uses . 
 
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 L. lactis DSM 11037 .  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 " Lactococcus lactis  DSM 1 1037 " 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