Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Food Additives with Other  Generally Accepted Uses  to Enable the Use of  
Tannic Acid as a Fining Agent in Ale, Beer, Malt Liquor, Porter and Stout  
 
  
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch     1 
  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Food 
Additives with Other Generally Accepted Uses  to 
Enable the Use of Tannic Acid as a Fining Agent in 
Ale, Beer, Malt Liquor, Porter and Stout  
 
Notice of Modification – Lists of Permitted Food Additives  
Reference Number: [NOM/ADM -0021] 
 
 
 January  09, 201 4  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Food Additives with Other  Generally Accepted Uses  to Enable the Use of  
Tannic Acid as a Fining Agent in Ale, Beer, Malt Liquor, Porter and Stout  
 
  
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.  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 premarket 
approva l 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 has been requested to approve the use of tannic acid as a fining agent in beer, ale, 
malt l iquor, porter and stout at a maximum level of use of 10 p.p.m.    
 
Tannic acid is already permitted for use in Canada as a fining agent in cider, honey wine and 
wine.  
 
The results of Health Canada’s evaluation of available scientific data support the safet y of tannic 
acid when used as a fining agent in the requested beverages.  Therefore, Health Canada has 
modified the  List of Permitted Food Additive s with Other Generally Accepted Uses  to extend the 
use of tannic acid by adding the entry to the List as set out below.   
 
Modification to the List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Generally Accepted Uses  
 
Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted in or 
upon  Colum n 3 
Purpose of Use  Column 4  
Maximum Level of 
Use and Other 
Conditions  
T.2 Tannic 
acid (3) Ale; Beer; Malt 
liquor; Porter; 
Stout  (3) Fining agent  (3) 10 p.p.m.  
 
 
Rationale  
 
Health Canada’s Food Directorate completed a pre -market safety assessment of tannic acid used 
as a fining agent.  The assessment considered toxicological, microbial, nutritional and technical 
aspects of this use of tannic acid.  
 
Tannic acid used in foods sold in Canada must meet the food -grade specifications set out in the 
most recent edition of the Food Chemicals Codex (FCC) .  FCC is a compendium of standards for 
the purity and identity of food ingredients, including food additives, which is published by the 
United States Pharmacopeial Co nvention.  
  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Food Additives with Other  Generally Accepted Uses  to Enable the Use of  
Tannic Acid as a Fining Agent in Ale, Beer, Malt Liquor, Porter and Stout  
 
  
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch     3 Since the request to Health Canada was for the use of tannic acid in foods that are standardized 
under the Food and Drug Regulations , Health Canada consulted with the Canadian Food 
Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the appropriate food industry assoc iation, both of which had no 
objection to the use of tannic acid as set out in the above table.  
 
Based on the results of the safety assessment, Health Canada’s Food Directorate considers that 
the data support the safety of tannic acid when used under the c onditions of use set out in the 
table above.  The Department has therefore enabled the use tannic acid as described in the table.  
 
Other Relevant Information  
 
Some fining agents used in manufacturing alcoholic beverages are listed in  the List of Permitted 
Food Additives with Other Generally Accepted Uses  while others are considered processing aids.  
In addition, the compositional standards for certain alcoholic beverages, including beer, 
specifically identify which fining agents may be used in the manufacture of those beverages.  
The addition of tannic ac id as described above to the List of Permitted Food Additives with Other 
Generally Accepted Uses enables its use in ale, beer, malt liquor, porter and stout . 
 
Implementation and Enforcement  
 
The above modification came into force on January 09, 2014 , the day it was published in the List 
of Permitted Food Additives with Other Generally Accepted Uses . 
 
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for the enforce ment 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 tannic acid. 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 " tannic acid " 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