Notice of Modification to th e List of 
Permitted  Emulsifying, Gelling, 
Stabilizing or Thickening Agents  to 
Enable the Use of alpha -Cyclodextrin  
in Various Foods  
 
Notice of Modification  – Lists of Permitted Food 
Additives  
Reference Number: NO M/ADM-0203 
May 31, 2023 
 Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents  to Enable the Use of alpha -
Cyclodextrin in Various Foods  | 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 Permitted Food Additives  that are incorporated by reference in 
the MAs and published on the Canada.ca website. A petitioner can request t hat Health Canada authorize  a 
new additive , or a new source  or a new condition of use for an already permitted  food additive , by filing a 
food additive submission with the Department's Food Directorate. Health Canada uses this premarket 
authorization  proce ss to determine whether the scientific data support the safety of food additives when 
used under specified conditions in foods sold in Canada.  
Health Canada’s Food Directorate received a food additive submission seeking authorization for the use of 
alpha -(α)-cyclodextrin in  various foods . Since this is a food additive that was not previously permitted for use 
in Canada, Health Canada published a  Notice of Health Canada’s Proposal to Enable the Use of alpha -
Cyclodextrin as an Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agent in Various Foods . The Notice of 
Proposal was published on October 6, 2022,  and was open to the public for comment for 75 days.   
No new scientific information was submitted to the Department as a result of this Notice of Proposal. Since 
the conclusions of the evaluation remain as described in the Notice of Proposal , Health Canada has 
authorized  the use of  α -cyclodextrin  as a food a dditive  by adding the  new item and its corresponding entries 
shown  in the table below to the  List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents .  
 
Modification to the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling , Stabilizing or Thickening 
Agents  
The following entr ies were added to the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening 
Agents : 
Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted in or Upon  Column 3  
Maximum Level of Use and Other 
Conditions  
C.19  α-Cyclodextrin  (1) 
Beverage whiteners  (1) 
1% 
(2) 
Icings ; Unstandardized dips ; 
Unstandardized emulsified sauces  
except unstandardized dressings  
for salads  (2) 
3% 
(3) 
Unstandardized bakery products  (3) 
2% 
(4) 
Unstandardized dressings  for 
salads  (4) 
5% 
(5) 
Yogurt  (5) 
2.5%  Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents  to Enable the Use of alpha -
Cyclodextrin in Various Foods  | 3 
 Rationale  
As described in the Notice of Health Canada’s Proposal to Enable the Use of alpha -Cyclodextrin as an 
Emulsifying, Stabilizing or Thickening Agent in Various Foods , Health Canada’s Food Directorate 
completed a premarket safety and efficacy assessment of  various requested uses of α-cyclodextrin . The 
Dire ctorate considered allergenicity, chemistry, microbiology, molecular biology, nutrition, technical 
information, and toxicology in the assessment. The results of the assessment support the safety and 
efficacy of α-cyclodextrin  for use as set out in the table above. Therefore, Health Canada has enabled 
the use of α-cyclodextrin as a food additive by adding to the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, 
Stabilizing or Thickening Agents  the new entr ies shown in the above table.  
Other Relevant Information  
Food additives such as α-cyclodextrin  are required to meet food -grade specifications set out in Part B of 
the Regulations, where such specifications exist, or those set out in the most recent edition of the Food 
Chemicals Codex  or the Combined Compendium o f Food Additive Specifications  where there are no 
specifications in Part B . The Food Chemicals Codex  is a compendium of standards for purity and identity 
for food ingredients, including food additives, published by the United States Pharmacopeial 
Conventio n. Specifications in the Combined Compendium of Food Additive Specifications  are prepared by 
the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and published by the Food and 
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.  
Notification – Summary of Comments  and Health Canada’s 
Responses   
No comments were received in response to Health Canada’s Proposal to Enable the Use of alpha -
Cyclodextrin as an Emulsifying, Stabilizing or Thickening Agent in Various Foods , published on October 6, 
2022 . 
Implementation and Enforcement  
The above modification came into force May 31, 2023, the day it was published in the List of Permitted 
Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents .  
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is responsible for the enforcement of the Food and Drugs Act and 
its ass ociated regulations with respect to foods.   
Contact Information  
Health Canada's Food Directorate is committed to reviewing new scientific information on the safety in 
use of any  permitted  food additive. Anyone  wishing to submit an inquiry or new scientific information 
on the use of a permitted food additive may do so in writing, by regular mail or electronically. If you 
wish to contact the Food Directorate electronically  about  α-cyclodextrin , please use the words " alpha -
cyclodext rin (NOM -0203)" in the subject line of your e -mail.  Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents  to Enable the Use of alpha -
Cyclodextrin in Various Foods  | 4 
 Bureau of Chemical Safety, Foo d Directorate  
251 Sir Frederick Banting Driveway  
Tunney’s Pasture, PL: 2202C  
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9  
E-mail: bcs-bipc@hc -sc.gc.ca