The Government of Canada has amended the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR), making changes to the regulatory framework for food compositional standards. The changes are intended to provide a more agile regulatory framework that supports growth and innovation.

The amendments affect certain regulations concerning food additives and compositional standards, microbiological criteria, and methods of analysis for food. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada collaborated on the changes, made in response to comments received on the Agri-Food and Aquaculture Regulatory Review Roadmap. The amendments address “long-standing irritants and barriers to market” by providing more responsive and adaptable regulatory frameworks.

The regulatory amendments:

• Move food compositional standards from FDR, Part B to a new document, titled, Canadian Food Compositional Standards (CFCS), which exclude any health and safety rules (i.e., permitted food additives, vitamin and mineral fortification requirements, microbiological criteria, and other microbiological safety requirements) that may have previously applied to the standards. Health and safety requirements continue to apply to standardized foods, but are managed within either distinct and separate regulatory frameworks, or as standalone regulatory prohibitions of sale in FDR.
• Create a consolidated regulatory framework for microbiological criteria under a new Division 30 in FDR. The dated microbiological methods of analysis are replaced by a requirement that compliance with the criteria be measured by way of either a "microbiological reference method" or an "equivalent method" as set out in two new documents incorporated by reference.
• Absorb the chemical, physical, and nutritional methods of analysis and their associated values into one of two new documents. Methods of analysis and their associated values linked to compositional requirements that apply to standardized foods are included within CFCS. Methods of analysis linked to health and safety requirements or compositional requirements that apply to unstandardized foods are set out in the Table of Chemical, Physical, and Nutritional Characteristics of Food (the Characteristics Table). The regulations permit the use of the Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score (PDCAAS) method to measure the protein quality of certain foods through its addition to the Characteristics Table.
• Consolidate food additive provisions into a revised Division 16 of FDR, as well as repeal redundant and outdated food additive references and tables. The regulations also incorporate by reference the new Table of Food Additive Specifications as well as the revised Lists of Permitted Food Additives. Additionally, the regulations prescribe new provisions for the sale and labeling of pre-mixes of food additives and other ingredients used solely in the manufacture or preparation of other foods.

The regulations also make minor consequential amendments to the Cannabis Act, the Excise Act, 2001, the Pest Control Products Act, the Safe Food for Canadians Act, and the Feeds Act.

A summary of changes can be read here.

A list of new documents incorporated by reference and revisions to existing documents incorporated by reference can be read here.