Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives  to Enable the Use of Potassium Acetate and  
Potassium Diacetate in Certain Meat and Poultry Products  - Reference Number: NOM/ADM -0079   
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 Potassium Acetate and 
Potassium Diacetate in Certain Meat and Poultry 
Products  
Notice of Modification – Lists of Permitted Food Additives  
Reference Number: [NOM/ADM -0080] 
 
 
 October 21, 2016   
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives  to Enable the Use of Potassium Acetate and  
Potassium Diacetate in Certain Meat and Poultry Products  - Reference Number: NOM/ADM -0079   
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 new additive or a new condition of use for an already 
approved food additive by fi ling a food additive submission 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 C anada.  
 
Health Canada received two food additive submissions, one seeking approval for the use of 
potassium acetate and potassium diacetate and the second for the use of only potassium acetate. 
Potassium acetate and potassium diacetate are intended for use  as antimicrobial preservatives in 
various meat and poultry products.  
 
Health Canada determined that the available scientific data support the safety and efficacy of 
potassium acetate and potassium diacetate for their requested use. Since neither food addi tive has 
previously been permitted for use in Canada, Health Canada published a notice of the 
Department’s proposal to enable their use as antimicrobial preservatives, titled Notice of Health 
Canada's Proposal to Enable the Use of Potassium Acetate and Potassium Diacetate as 
Preservatives in Meat and Poultry Products – Reference Number: NOP/AVP -0017 .   
 
The notice was published on June 7, 2016, and was open for public comment fo r 75 days. No 
new scientific information was submitted to the Department in response to the proposal. Since 
the conclusions of the evaluation remain as described in the proposal, Health Canada has 
modified Part 2 of the List of Permitted Preservatives  as indicated below.  
 
Modifications 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  
P.01 Potassium 
Acetate  (1) 
Brawn; Headcheese; 
Meat by -product 
loaf; Meat loaf; 
Potted meat; Potted 
meat by -product; 
Prepared meat; 
Prepared meat by -
product; Prepared (1) 
Good Manufacturing Practice  
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives  to Enable the Use of Potassium Acetate and  
Potassium Diacetate in Certain Meat and Poultry Products  - Reference Number: NOM/ADM -0079   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch     3 poultry meat; 
Prepared poultry 
meat by -product; 
Preserved meat; 
Preserved meat by 
product; Preserved 
poultry meat; 
Preserved poultry 
meat by -product; 
Sausage  
 
(2)  
Unstandardized 
preparations of  
(a) meat and meat 
by-product (Division 
14); and  
(b) poultry meat and 
poultry meat by -
product  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(2) 
Good Manufacturing Practice  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
P.2.01  Potassium 
Diacetate  (1) 
Brawn; Headcheese; 
Meat by -product 
loaf; Meat loaf; 
Potted meat; Potted 
meat by -product; 
Prepared meat; 
Prepared meat by -
product; Prepared 
poultry meat; 
Prepared poultry 
meat by -product; 
Preserved meat; 
Preserved meat by -
product; Preserved 
poultry meat; 
Preserved poultry 
meat by -product; 
Sausage  
 
(2)  
Unstandardized (1) 
0.25% of final product weight. If used 
in combination with sodium diacetate, 
the total not to exceed 0.25% of final 
product weight.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(2)  
0.25% of final product weight. If used  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives  to Enable the Use of Potassium Acetate and  
Potassium Diacetate in Certain Meat and Poultry Products  - Reference Number: NOM/ADM -0079   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch     4 preparations of  
(a) meat and meat 
by-product (Division 
14); and  
(b) poultry meat and 
poultry meat by -
product  in combination with sodium diacetate, 
the total not to exceed 0.25% of final 
product weight.  
 
To account for potential use of potassium diacetate in combination with sodium diacetate , an 
already permitted food additive,  in these foods, the entry for sodium diacetate in Part 2 of the 
List of Permitted Preservatives  has been modified to the following:  
 
Item 
No. Column 1  
Addi tive Column 2  
Permitted in or 
upon  Column 3  
Maximum Level of Use and Other 
Conditions  
S.2.1  Sodium 
Diacetate  (1) 
Brawn; Headcheese; 
Meat by -product 
loaf; Meat loaf; 
Potted meat; Potted 
meat by -product;  
Prepared meat; 
Prepared meat by -
product; Prepared 
poultry meat; 
Prepared poultry 
meat by -product;  
Preserved meat; 
Preserved meat by -
product; Preserved 
poultry meat; 
Preserved poultry 
meat by -product; 
Sausage  
 
(2)  
Unstandardized 
preparations of  
(a) meat and meat 
by-product (Division 
14); and  
(b) poultry meat and 
poultry meat by -(1) 
0.25% of final product weight. If used 
in com bination with potassium 
diacetate, the total not to exceed 0.25% 
of final product weight.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(2) 
0.25% of final product weight. If used 
in combination with potassium 
diacetate, the total not to exceed 0.25% 
of final product weight.  
 
 
  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives  to Enable the Use of Potassium Acetate and  
Potassium Diacetate in Certain Meat and Poultry Products  - Reference Number: NOM/ADM -0079   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch     5 product  
 
(3) 
Prepared fish or 
prepared meat 
(Division 21); 
Preserved fish or 
preserved meat 
(Division 21)  
 
(4) 
Unstandardized 
preparations of  
(a) meat (Division 
21); and  
(b) fish  
  
 
(3) 
0.25% of final product weight  
 
 
 
 
 
 
(4) 
0.25% of final product weight  
 
 
Rationale  
 
Health Canada’s Food Directorate assessed potassium acetate and potassium diacetate for safety 
and efficacy based on their intended uses as described in the food additive submissions. The 
additives were found to be acceptable for use in meat and poultry products in accordance with 
the conditions shown above. Consequently, Health Canada has enabled these uses of potassium 
acetate and potassium diacetate as anti microbial preservatives.  
 
Corrective modifications to Part 1 of the List of Permitted Preservatives  
 
The entry in Column 2 for sub item  W.1(2) to Part 1 of the List of Permitted Preservatives  has 
been corrected by removing the reference to “Division 14 an d 21” for “Preserved meat by -
product”.  “Preserved meat by -product” refers only to foods that are standardized by section 
B.14.031 of Division 14 of the Food and Drug Regulations , since there is no such standard in 
Division 21. Consequently, sub item  W.1(2 ) should only refer to “Preserved meat by -product”.  
 
Notification – Summary of Comments  
 
Health Canada received two comments in response to the Notice of Health Canada's Proposal to 
Enable the Use of Potassium Acetate and Potassium Diacetate as Preservatives in Meat and 
Poultry Products – Reference Number: NOP/AVP -0017 . One was from the food industry and 
supported the proposal. The second was from an individual who request ed links to safety studies 
used in the assessment and asked whether the maximum level of use is on a percent by weight or 
a percent by volume basis. In response Health Canada provided a safety summary and clarified 
that the maximum level of use is based on  the final product weight.    
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Preservatives  to Enable the Use of Potassium Acetate and  
Potassium Diacetate in Certain Meat and Poultry Products  - Reference Number: NOM/ADM -0079   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch     6  
Implementation and Enforcement  
 
The above modification came into force October 21, 2016 , 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 any new scientific information on 
the safety in use of any food additive, including potassium acetate and potassium diacetate . 
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 " potassium acetate and potassium diacetate " 
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