Notice of Modification to the List of 
Permitted Anticaking Agents  to Enable 
the Use of Cellulose and 
Microcrystalline Cellulose in Cubed or 
Diced Cheeses  
 
Notice of Modification  – Lists of Permitted Food 
Additives  
Referenc e Number: NOM/ADM-0149 
August 7 , 2020  
 Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Anticaking Agents  to Enable the Use of Cellulose and Microcrystalline Cellulose  in 
Cubed and Diced Cheeses  – Reference Number: NOM/ADM -0149| 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 Pe rmitted Food Additives  that are incorporated by reference in 
the MAs and published on the Canada.ca 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 foo d 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’s Food Directorate received a food additive submission seeking approval for the use of 
cellulose as an anticaking agent  in cheddar cheese, (naming the variety) cheese, and unstandardized cheese 
preparations that are diced , under the same condit ions of use as are already permitted for these same types 
of cheeses when they are grated or shredded . 
Both cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose are already permitted as anticaking agents in the grated or 
shredded formats of these same types of cheeses  at a level up to 2.0%, singly or in combination .      
The results of the Food Directorate’s evaluation of available scientific data support the safety of cellulose and 
microcrystalline cellulose when used in cubed or diced formats of these cheeses as set out in the table below .  
Therefore, Health Canada has modified the List of Permitted Anticaking Agents  to ext end the use of cellulose 
and microcrystalline cellulose by adding the entries shown below  to the list . 
 
Modification to the List of Permitted Anticaking Agents  
Item 
No. Column 1  
Additive  Column 2  
Permitted in or Upon  Column 3  
Maximum Level of Use and Other  
Conditions  
C.5 Cellulose  (3) 
Cubed or diced cheddar cheese; 
Cubed or diced (naming the variety) 
cheese; Unstandardized cubed or 
diced cheese preparations  (3) 
2.0%. If used in combination with 
Microcrystalline Cellulose, the 
total amount not to exceed 2.0%  
M.5 Microcrystalline 
Cellulose  (3)  
Cubed or diced cheddar cheese; 
Cubed or diced (naming the variety) 
cheese; Unstandardized cubed or 
diced cheese preparations  (3) 
2.0%. If used in combination with 
Cellulose, the total amount not to 
exceed 2.0%  
 
 
 
 Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Anticaking Agents  to Enable the Use of Cellulose and Microcrystalline Cellulose  in 
Cubed and Diced Cheeses  – Reference Number: NOM/ADM -0149| 3 
 Corrective Modification s 
In order to maintain consistent wording in column 3 of items C.5 and M.5 of the List of Permitted Anticaking 
Agents , the entries in column 3 of subitems C.5(1), C.5(2), M.5(1) and M.5(2) have been revised to reflect the 
wording used in column 3 of the newly added subitems C.5(3) and M.5(3).    
In addition, in the French version of the List of Permitted Anticaking Agents , the qualifier “(indication de la 
variété)” now appea rs immediately after the word “fromage” in column 2 of subitems C.5(1) and M.5(1 ) in 
order to be consistent with the name of the standard that is set out in section B.08.033  of the Regulations.  
All of the aforementioned corrective modifications are inconsequential and do not change the existing rules 
as they apply the use of cellulose  and microcrystalline cellulose  in cheese.  
Rationale  
Health Canada’s Food Directorate completed a pre -market safety assessment of the requested uses of 
cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose . No food safety concern s were identified with permitting these 
additives to be used in these cheeses under the same conditi ons where they may already be used  in grated 
or shredded formats of the same cheeses .  Consequently,  the Department has enabled the uses of cellulose 
and microcrystalline cellulose by modifying  the List of Permitted Anticaking Agents  as shown in the above 
table.  
Other Relevant Information  
The Food and Drug Regulations  require that food additives such as cellulose  and microcrystalline cellulose  
that do not have food -grade specifications set out in Part B of the Regulations meet the food -grade 
specifications set out in  the most recent edition of  the Food Chemicals Codex  or the Combined Compendium 
of Food Additive Sp ecifications .  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 
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  7, 2020, the day it was published in the List of Permitted 
Anticaking Agents .  
The Canadian Food Inspec tion Agency is responsible for the enforcement 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 cellulose and microcrystalline cellulose .  Anyone wishing to submit new 
scientific information on the use of these additives or to submit any inquiries may do so in writing, by regular Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Anticaking Agents  to Enable the Use of Cellulose and Microcrystalline Cellulose  in 
Cubed and Diced Cheeses  – Reference Number: NOM/ADM -0149| 4 
 mail or electronically.  If you wish to contact the Food Directorate electro nically, please use the words 
"Cellulose and Microcrystalline Cellulose  (NOM -0149)" 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 0K9  
E-mail: hc.bcs -bipc.sc@canada.ca