Modernizing Food Standards, Microbiology and Additives

Summary#

These are the final Regulations Amending Certain Regulations Concerning Food Additives and Compositional Standards, Microbiological Criteria and Methods of Analysis for Food: SOR/2024-244. They change how Canada sets and updates food composition rules, microbiological safety limits and laboratory methods, and how food additives are listed and managed. The rules take effect on December 18, 2024 and move many technical details out of the written regulations and into government documents that can be updated more quickly.

What it does#

• Moves the non‑safety parts of food standards out of the Food and Drug Regulations and into a new incorporated document called the Canadian Food Compositional Standards. This covers more than 300 compositional standards and makes them easier to update.
• Keeps health and safety rules (for example, required fortification or required pasteurization steps) in the regulations, but consolidates and clarifies where they live.
• Combines existing microbiological rules into a new incorporated table called the Table of Microbiological Criteria for Food, and introduces a clear rule that a food is adulterated if it fails the listed microbiological limits.
• Replaces references to old fixed “official methods” for microbiology with a flexible approach that allows either a listed microbiological reference method or an equivalent method, using two new incorporated documents:
  • Table of Microbiological Reference Methods for Food, and
  • Canadian Requirements for Determining the Equivalence of Food Microbiological Methods of Analysis.
• Moves many chemical, physical and nutritional test methods into a new incorporated Table of Chemical, Physical and Nutritional Characteristics of Food so those methods and numeric limits can be updated without changing the regulations.
• Adds the internationally used PDCAAS method (Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score) as an accepted way to measure protein quality for most foods, while keeping the older PER method for infant foods.
• Finishes a long-running update of food‑additive rules by consolidating most additive rules into Division 16 of the regulations and incorporating the Lists of Permitted Food Additives directly into the Food and Drug Regulations. A separate ministerial action will repeal the older 15 marketing authorizations that currently hold those Lists.
• Introduces a new incorporated Table of Food Additive Specifications for setting or updating additive specifications.
• Creates a labelling and information rule for “pre‑mixes” (mixtures sold only for use as ingredients in making other foods). There is a transition so the new label requirement does not apply immediately (see Key dates).
• Makes related changes in other federal rules so references line up. These include the Cannabis Regulations, Safe Food for Canadians Regulations, Denatured and Specially Denatured Alcohol Regulations, Pest Control Products Regulations and the Feeds Regulations, 2024.

Key dates

• Comes into force: December 18, 2024.
• Special transition for information required with pre‑mixes: until December 31, 2027 (with an earlier exception for certain aspartame pre‑mixes until December 31, 2025).

Who's affected#

• Food manufacturers and processors (dairy, meat, bakery, beverages, flavouring and spice makers, and others).
• Food laboratories and testing services that do microbiological, chemical or nutritional analyses.
• Importers and businesses that trade food across provinces.
• Small food businesses (they can choose the newer PDCAAS test or keep PER for protein quality, which may lower testing costs).
• The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada, which will use and manage the new incorporated documents and enforce the consolidated rules.
• The cannabis edible industry, because the Cannabis Regulations were updated to match the revised food‑additive rules.
• Feed, pesticide and alcohol sectors because of cross‑references in the Feeds Regulations, 2024, Pest Control Products Regulations and alcohol rules.

If it is unclear who is affected by a particular technical change, the government’s incorporated documents and guidance will be the place to check for details.

Why it matters#

• Faster updates. Agencies can revise technical lists (food standards, microbiological limits, testing methods, additive uses and specifications) without full regulatory amendments. That makes the system more responsive to new science, new lab methods and market changes.
• More clarity. Having one place for each type of technical rule (standards, microbiological criteria, methods, additive lists) aims to reduce confusion and duplicated or conflicting references across different rules.
• Improved testing options. Labs and industry can use modern or equivalent test methods once they meet the new equivalence rules. For protein quality, many companies can switch to PDCAAS, which is often faster and less costly than the older animal test (PER).
• Trade and innovation. Easier updating and clearer additive and compositional rules can help companies innovate and align with trading partners’ standards.
• Consumer protection stays. Food safety and mandatory public‑health rules remain in the written regulations. Consolidation is intended to keep enforcement possible while letting technical limits move faster.
• Transition time. The rules give industry time to adapt (notably the pre‑mix labelling change through December 31, 2027), rather than forcing immediate label or process changes.