WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/SPS/N/CAN/258 
20 March 2006 
 (06-1231) 
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:  Health Canada  
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):  Various standardized fruit a nd vegetable products (ICS: 67. 080) 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable:  Not 
stated  
5. Title, language and number of p ages of the notified document:  Interim Marketing 
Authorization regarding the use of citric acid as a pH-adjusting agent in various standardized fruit and vegetable products (Ava ilable in English and French, pages 507-508).
6. Description of content:  Health Canada has received submissions to permit the use of citric 
acid as a pH-adjusting agent in various sta ndardized fruit and vegetable products at a 
maximum level of use consistent with go od manufacturing practice.  These specific 
standardized fruit and vegetable products that must comply with standards B.11.002 and/or 
B.11.041 and/or B.11.051 and/or B.11.101 are as follows:  
Beans  
— black beans  
— black-eyed peas  
— Black Turtle beans  — brown beans, baked beans  — fava beans (including extra large fava beans)  — flageolet beans  
— garbanzo beans (chickpeas)  
— golden beans  — Great Northern beans  — green beans  — Italian beans  — Lima beans ("butter beans") [including small and large]  
— mixed beans (including three-bean blend, six-bean blend, curry chickpea salad, fava and 
chickpea mix, Mexican salad, mixed beans salad)  
— pink beans  — Pinto beans  — Romano beans  G/SPS/N/CAN/258 
Page 2  
 
   — red beans (small)  
— red kidney beans (including light red and dark red)  — soya beans  — white kidney beans  — white Navy beans  
 
Fruits 
 
— apples   Peas 
 
— green peas  
— lentils  — lupinis  — pigeon peas  — yellow peas  
 
Pickles 
 
— pickled mixed vegetables for giardiniera salad  — pickled pepperoncini  — pickled grape vine leaves  
 
Vegetables 
 
— red sweet peppers   Evaluation of available data supports the safety and effectiveness of the use of citric acid in 
these fruit and vegetable products.  
 
Therefore, it is the intention of Health Canada to recommend that the Food and Drug 
Regulations  be amended to permit the use of citric acid as a pH-adjusting agent in the 
standardized fruit and vegetable products listed above at a maximum level of use consistent 
with good manufacturing practice.  
 
As a means to improve the responsiveness of th e regulatory system, an Interim Marketing 
Authorization (IMA) is being issued to permit the immediate use of citric acid, as indicated 
above, while the regulatory process is undertaken  to formally amend the Regulations.  A 
revision to this notification will be publishe d at the start of the amendment process and 
Members will be given the opportunity at that  time to submit comments on this proposed 
measure.  
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, 11 March 2006 (availab le in English and French)   G/SPS/N/CAN/258 
 Page 3 
 
 
  10. Proposed date of adoption:  Immediate for this IMA.  For the final regulation, will be stated 
in subsequent Revision or A ddendum to this notification.  
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  Immediate for this IMA.  For the final regulation, will 
be stated in subsequent Revision or Addendum to this notification.  
12. Final date for comments:  This document is not for comment at this time.  A comment 
period will be provided in a Re vision of this notification.  
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 noti fication authority, [ X ] National enquiry 
point, or address, fax number and E-mail address (if available) of other body:   
The electronic version of the regulat ory text can be downloaded at:  
http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/2006/20060311/pdf/g1-14010.pdf