Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Sweeteners  to Enable the Use of  
Steviol Glycosides  as a Sweetener in Various Unstandardized Snack Bars   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    1 
 
  Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted 
Sweeteners  to Enable the Use of Steviol 
Glycosides  as a Sweetener  in Various 
Unstandardized Snack Bars  
 
Notice of Modification  – Lists of Permitted Food Additives  
Reference Number: [NO M/ADM-0098] 
August 2, 2017   
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Sweeteners  to Enable the Use of  
Steviol Glycosides  as a Sweetener in Various Unstandardized Snack Bars   
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  (Regulations) . Approved food additives 
and their permitted conditions of use are set out in the Lists of Per mitted 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 fo od 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 Canada.  
 
Health Canada received two food additive submission s that together s eek approval for the use of 
steviol glycosides  as a sweetener  in snack  bars including, but not limited to  granola bars, cereal 
bars, fibre bars, and protein isolate -based bars.   The requested maximum level  of use for protein 
isolate -based bars is 0.02%  (calculated as steviol equivalents) and for the other snack bars is 
0.04% (calculated as steviol equivalents) .   
 
Steviol glycosides1 is already permitted for use in Canada as a sweeten er in assorted 
unstandardized foods .  The results of Health Canada’s evaluation of available scientific data 
support  the safety  of steviol glycosides  for use  in the various  unstandardized snack bars  of 
interest  up to a  maximum level of use of 0.04% (calculated as steviol equivalents) .  Therefore, 
Health Canada has modified the  List of Permitted Sweeteners  to exten d the use of steviol 
glycosides by adding the entry shown in the table below to the list . 
 
The term “ unstandardized snack bars ” is a food category that , for the purposes of the food 
additive provisions,  covers  such products as granola bars, cereal bars, et c. but it does not include 
the following food categories , even  when sold in a “bar” format:  
 “unstandardized confectionery”  (which is already permitted to contain steviol glycosides 
at a level of up to 0.07%, calculated as steviol equivalents) ; 
 “unstandardized chocolate confectionary”  (which is already permitted to contain steviol 
glycosides at a level of up to 0.035%, calculated as steviol equivalents) ; 
 chocolate products that are subject to a compositional standard set out in Division 4 of 
the Regulations ; 
 “frozen novelt ies” such as unstandardized ice cream bars  or unstandardized ice cream 
sandwiches ; 
 “meal replacement bars” or “nutritional supplement bars” (which are already permitted 
to contain steviol glycosides at a level of up to 0.02%, cal culated as steviol equivalents) .  
 
 
 
                                              
1 The term “steviol glycosides” is used in the singular to denote a single food additive even though the additive can 
comprise more than one steviol glycoside .  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Sweeteners  to Enable the Use of  
Steviol Glycosides  as a Sweetener in Various Unstandardized Snack Bars   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    3 Modification to the List of Permitted  Sweeteners  
 
Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted in or Upon Column 3  
Maximum Level of Use 
and Other Conditions  
S.1.2  Steviol glycosides (One or any 
combination of Stevioside, 
Rebaudioside A, Rebaudioside 
B,  Rebaudioside C, 
Rebaudioside D, Rebaudioside 
F, Rebaudioside M, Dulcoside 
A, Rubusoside, and 
Steviolbioside, such that the 
total steviol glycosides content 
is not less than 95%)  (9) Unstandardized 
snack bars  
 (9) 0.04% (calculated as 
steviol equivalents ) 
 
Rationale  
 
Health Canada’s F ood Directorate completed a pre market safety assessment of the requested 
uses of steviol glycosides  in unstandardized snack bars .  The assessment did not identify any 
chemical, nutritional, microbiological or toxicological food safety concerns with the se uses of 
this sweetener.  Therefore, Health Canada  has enabled the requested uses of steviol glycosides by 
modifying the  List of Permitted  Sweeteners  as set out in the above table.  
 
Other Relevant Information  
 
The Food and Drug Regulations  require that food additives such as steviol glycosides  that do not 
have food -grade specifications set out in Part B of the Regulations meet the most recent food -
grade specifications set out in the Food Chemicals Codex  or the Combined Compendium of Food 
Additive Specifications .  The Food Chemicals Codex  is a c ompendium of standards for purity 
and identity for food ingredients, including food additives, published by the United States 
Pharmacopeial Convention.  The Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications , which 
contains specifications  prepared by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives 
(JECFA) , is published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.  
 
Implementation and Enforcement  
 
The above modification came into force  August 2, 2017 , the day it was published in  the List of 
Permitted Sweeteners . 
 
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for the enforcement of the Food and Drugs 
Act and its associated regulations with respect to foods.  
  
Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Sweeteners  to Enable the Use of  
Steviol Glycosides  as a Sweetener in Various Unstandardized Snack Bars   
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch    4 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 steviol glycoside s.  Anyone wishing to submit 
new scienti fic 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 
electro nically, please use the words " steviol glycosides  in snack bars " in the subject line of your 
e-mail.  
 
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate  
251 Sir Frederick Banting Driveway  
Tunney’s Pasture, PL: 2202 C 
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0L2  
E-mail: bcs-bipc@hc -sc.gc.ca