. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/CAN/277 
8 January 2007 
 (07-0071) 
Committee on Sanitary a nd Phytosanitary Measures Original:   English/ 
 French 
 
 
  
NOTIFICATION 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  CANADA
 
If applicable, name of local government involved:   
2. Agency responsible:  Department of Health  
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):   Neotame (ICS: 67.040, 67.220)  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  Not 
stated  
5. Title, language and number of pages of the notified document:  Proposed Amendment to 
the Food and Drug Regulations (1433 -  Neot ame) (Available in English and French; 
5 pages) 
6. Description of content:  High intensity sweeteners used in the manufacture of foods are 
considered, under the Food and Drug Regulations , to be food additives. The high intensity 
sweeteners permitted under the Food and Drug Regulations  are aspartame, sucralose and 
acesulfame-potassium.  
Health Canada has received a submission to amend the Food and Drug Regulations  to 
permit the use of neotame, a substance that is  7 000 to 13 000 times sweeter than sugar. 
Neotame would be used as a high intensity sw eetener in carbonated soft drinks, beverage 
concentrates, beverage mixes (powdered soft dr inks, pre-sweetened cocoa, or coffee mixes), 
unstandardized dairy beverages, unstandardi zed fruit juices, breakfast cereals, dessert 
mixes, toppings, topping mixes, fillings, f illing mixes, unstandardized desserts, yogurt, 
confectionery glazes for snack foods, sweetened  seasonings or coating mixes for snack 
foods, confections, including candies and thei r coatings, chewing gum, breath freshener 
products, unstandardized fruit spreads, pur ées, sauces, unstandardized table syrups, 
unstandardized salad dressings, peanut and ot her nut spreads, condiments, unstandardized 
baked goods, baking mixes, and as a table-t op sweetener at maximum levels of use 
specified in the proposed amendments.   Evaluation of available data supports the safet y and effectiveness of these uses of neotame.  
 
Under the current Regulations, all foods (includi ng those that are table-top sweeteners) that 
contain aspartame, acesulfame-potassium or sucralose must carry a statement on the principal display panel to the effect that the food contains or is sweetened with the 
sweetener. For foods carrying a nutrition facts table, the sweetener content expressed in milligrams per serving of stated size must be d eclared on their labels. In the case where the G/SPS/N/CAN/277 
Page 2  
 
  label of the food does not carry a nutrition f acts table, information on the energy value 
expressed in calories or kilojoules, the protei n, fat, and carbohydrate content, expressed in 
grams per serving of stated size, and the sw eetener content expressed in milligrams per 
serving of stated size, must be provided on any part of the label, grouped with the list of ingredients. The same requirements are proposed for foods containing neotame.  
 
Therefore, it is the intention of Health Canada to recommend that the Food and Drug 
Regulations  be amended to permit the use of neot ame in the above-named foods at the 
specified maximum levels of use and to require  that the label of a food containing neotame 
carries the information indicated above.  
 
This document has also been no tified under the TBT Agreement. 
 
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   
8. International standard, guideline or recommendation: 
[   ] Codex Alimentarius Commission,  [  ] World Organization for Animal Health 
(OIE), [   ] International Plant Protection Convention,  [ X ] None 
If an international standard, guideline or recommendation exists, give the appropriate 
reference and briefly identify deviations:   
9. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  Canada Gazette, 
Part I, 16 December 2006, pa ges 4300-4304 (available in  English and French). 
10. Proposed date of adoption:  Normally within 5 to 8 months of publication in the Canada 
Gazette, Part I.  
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  On the date the measure is adopted  
12. Final date for comments:  1 March 2007  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments:  [   ] National notification 
authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if 
available) of other body:   
13. Texts available from:  [   ] National notification authority, [ X ] National enquiry point, 
or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:   
The electronic version of the regulator y text can be downloaded at:   
http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2006/20061216/pdf/g1-14050.pdf