Background
Health Canada's Food Directorate received a food additive submission seeking approval for the use of sucrose monoesters of lauric, palmitic, or stearic acid as emulsifiers in unstandardized beverages, unstandardized beverage concentrates, and unstandardized beverage mixes.
The results of Health Canada’s evaluation of available scientific data support the safety of sucrose monoesters of lauric, palmitic, or stearic acid when used as requested. Since sucrose monoesters of lauric, palmitic or stearic acid are food additives that were not specifically identified in Health Canada’s Lists of Permitted Food Additives, Health Canada published a notice of the department’s proposal to enable the use of these emulsifiers, titled Notice of Health Canada’s Proposal to Enable the Use of Sucrose Monoesters of Lauric, Palmitic or Stearic Acid as Emulsifiers in Unstandardized Beverages – Reference Number: NOP/AVP-0019.
The proposal was published on June 17, 2016, and was open for public comment for 75 days. No new scientific information was submitted to the Department in response to this publication. Since the conclusions of the evaluation remain as described in the proposal, Health Canada has modified the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents, effective November 29 2016.
The purpose of this communication is to publically announce the Department's decision in this regard and to provide the appropriate contact information for any inquiries or for those wishing to submit any new scientific information relevant to the safety of these food additives.
Information document
To obtain an electronic copy of the Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Emulsifying, Gelling, Stabilizing or Thickening Agents to Enable the Use of Sucrose Monoesters of Lauric, Palmitic, or Stearic Acid as Emulsifiers in Unstandardized Beverages - document Reference number: NOM/ADM-0083, please contact our publications office or send an e-mail to publications@hc-sc.gc.ca with the subject heading "hpfb BCS nom-adm-0083-eng".
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 sucrose monoesters of lauric, palmitic or stearic acid. Anyone wishing to submit new scientific information on the use of these food additives or to submit any inquiries may do so in writing, by regular mail or electronically. If you wish to contact the Food Directorate electronically, please use the words “sucrose monoesters of lauric, palmitic or stearic acid" in the subject line of your e-mail.
Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate