Food Standards, Regulations, and Guides - Food Additives

Question 1

How do we ensure that the food we purchase and consume is safe?

Answer 1

In order to ensure that the food we purchase and consume is safe and within certain preset limits of quality, there are government standards, regulations and grades in place to protect the consumer.

Question 2

What is the Department of Justice Canada responsible for maintaining?

Answer 2

The Consolidated Statutes and Regulations for the Government of Canada, including the Food and Drugs Act and Food and Drug Regulations.

Question 3

What is the Food and Drugs Act of Canada adminstered by?

Answer 3

The Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada

Question 4

Who enforces inspections for compliance?

Answer 4

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency

Question 5

What is the regulatory function of Health Canada?

Answer 5

• setting food and drug regulation standards of identity and composition for foods
• food additive regulations

Question 6

What is the regulatory function of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency?

Answer 6

• provides inspection services related to the food
• responsible for administration and enforcement of different Acts

Question 7

What is the regulatory function of Measurement Canada?

Answer 7

Agency of Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

• responsible for ensuring accuracy in the selling of measured goods,
• developing and enforcing the laws related to measurement accuracy,
• approving and inspecting measuring devices and investigating complaints of suspected inaccurate measurement.

Question 8

What is the regulatory function of the British Columbia Ministry of Health?

Answer 8

• public health inspection of retail stores and food service establishments
• inspection of provincially inspected meat processing plants and dairy processing plants

Question 9

What is the regulatory responsibility of a municipality?

Answer 9

• public health inspection of retail stores and food service establishments

Question 10

What are the consumer protection laws?

Answer 10

Sections 3, 4, 5, and 7 of the Food and Drugs Act form the foundation of the consumer protection laws.

Question 11

What is Section 3 of the Food and Drugs Act?

Answer 11

(1) no person shall advertise any food, drug, cosmetic or device to the general public as a treatment, preventative or cure for any of the diseases, disorders or abnormal physical states referred to in Schedule A.
(2) No person shall sell any food, drug, cosmetic or device

(a) that is represented by label, or:
(b) that is represented to the general public as a treatment, preventative or cure for any of the diseases, disorder or abnormal physical states referred to in Schedule A.

Some of the diseases mentioned in schedule A include alcoholism, appendicitis, arthritis, cancer, depression, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, liver diseases, obesity, sexual impotence, tumours, venereal disease.

Question 12

What is Section 4 of the Food and Drugs act?

Answer 12

No person shall sell an article of food that:

(a) has in or upon it any poisonous or harmful substance;
(b) is unfit for human consumption;
(c) consists in whole or in part of any filthy, putrid, disgusting, rotten decomposed or diseased animal or vegetable substance;
(d) is adulterated;
(e) was manufactured, prepared, preserved, packaged or stored under unsanitary conditions.

Question 13

What is Section 5 of the Food and Drugs act?

Answer 13

(1) No person shall label, package, treat, process, sell or advertise any food in manner that is false, misleading or deceptive or is likely to create an erroneous impression regarding its character, value, quantity, composition, merit or safety;
(2) An article of food that is not labelled or packaged as required by the regulations, or is labelled or packaged contrary to the regulations, shall be deemed to be labelled or packaged contrary to subsection (1).

Question 14

What is Section 7 of the Food and Drugs Act?

Answer 14

(a) No person shall manufacture, prepare, preserve, package or store for sale any food under unsanitary conditions.

Question 15

Who regulates weights and measures?

Answer 15

“Innovation, Science and Development Canada” specifically by an agency known as “Measurement Canada”.

This agency is responsible for inspection of measurement devices and providing the accuracy certification stickers

Question 16

Regulations about labelling, advertising and claims about food are administered by the […]?

Answer 16

CFIA

Question 17

What are the 5 disease reduction claims in Canada?

Answer 17

1. Disease Risk Reduction Claims with Respect to Sodium and Potassium
2. Disease Risk Reduction Claims with Respect to Calcium and Vitamin D
3. Disease Risk Reduction Claims with Respect to Saturated and Trans Fats
4. Disease Risk Reduction Claims with Respect to Cancer Risk Reduction
5. Disease Risk Reduction Claims with Respect to Dental Caries

Question 18

Summarize food labelling requirements.

Answer 18

Bilingual labelling

Common name of the food.

Country of Origin

Date marking and storage instructions as required.

Identity and Principal Place of Business

Irradiated foods

Legibility and location

List of ingredients in descending order of proportion

The Nutrition Facts table will show the Calories, the amount of fat, saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, sodium, carbohydrate, fiber, sugars, protein, calcium, iron and Vitamins A and C in a specified amount of food.

Net quantity of the food

Sweeteners

Other mandatory information may be required for certain foods: eg. % alcohol for alcoholic beverages, % milk fat for some dairy products

Question 19

What are standardized foods?

Answer 19

Foods that have set standards of identity and composition that have to be met for a food to be legally called by the name in the standard.

Examples of standardized foods include bread, milk, cheese, orange juice, sausage, jam, wine, beer, vinegar and salt.

Question 20

What are unstandardized foods?

Answer 20

Foods that do not have a standard of identity are referred to as “unstandardized foods”.

Snack foods like potato chips, various bakery items such as rolls, donuts and cakes, yogurt, and pizza are examples of unstandardized foods.

Question 21

What is an identity standard?

What is a compositional standard?

Answer 21

An identity standard is one that states what the food shall be and defines a food or ingredient.

Compositional standards list the mandatory and permitted ingredients in foods.

Question 22

What is good manufacturing practice?

Answer 22

When the maximum level of use for a food additive indicates “Good manufacturing practice” (GMP); it basically means the minimum amount of an additive required to accomplish the specific purpose for which the additive is listed.

Question 23

Compare the risks and benefits if nitrite is used.

Answer 23

Risks:

Potential of increased nitrosamine content in the diet. Although some nitrosamines have shown carcinogenicity at higher doses, this does not appear to be a significant risk with moderate consumption.

Benefits:

Production of cured meat products at a reasonable cost with adequate control of Clostridium botulinum.

Question 24

Compare the risks and benefits if nitrite is not used.

Answer 24

Risks:

Increased potential for growth and toxin production by Clostridium botulinum in perishable cured meat products under abusive conditions.

Shelf-stable canned cured meat products would probably not be available because the increased heat treatment required would produce a product with an undesirable texture.

Benefits:

Decreased risks due to a decreased load of nitrosamines in the diet. The magnitude of this benefit may not be measurable due to the current load of nitrosamines in the diet from other sources and from nitrosamines formed in vivo.

Question 25

There are various Acts and Regulations that apply to food in Canada, to ensure that Canadian consumers have access to a safe, high quality food supply.

Who establishes regulations and standards?

Who inforces them?

Answer 25

The Health Products and Food Branch (HPFB) of Health Canada establishes regulations and standards (within the Food and Drugs Act and Regulations-FDR)

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) enforces these regulations and standards (e.g. Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act & Regulations)

Question 26

How many divisions exist within the FDR?

Answer 26

There are 28 divisions within the FDR.

For example, Food additives are regulated (found) in Division

Question 27

How many approved food additives are there in Canada?

Answer 27

There are more than 400 approved food additives in Canada.

Aspartame and nitrites are two examples of food additives; however, aspartame is classified as a “sweetener”, whereas nitrites are classified as “preservatives”.