List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods
The List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods (the List) is incorporated by reference into Division 15 of the Food and Drug Regulations.
The List sets out the conditions under which certain foods are adulterated and consists of two parts:
Part 1: Prohibitions
- Specifies substances in column 1 for which no amount is acceptable in the corresponding foods listed in column 2.
Part 2: Maximum Levels (MLs)
- Sets out maximum levels for various substances in certain foods.
- A food listed in column 2 is adulterated if the corresponding substance in column 1 exceeds the maximum level indicated in column 3.
- Maximum levels apply exclusively to the foods as described in column 2.
- If the foods listed in column 2 are also sold in dried, concentrated, or diluted forms and if maximum levels have not been established for these alternative forms, elevated concentrations will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Updates and Enforcement
As new scientific information becomes available, Health Canada may modify the List to help ensure that Canadians are not exposed to levels of chemical contaminants in their diet that may pose a health concern.
The public, relevant stakeholders, and other federal, provincial, territorial and international partners are consulted on proposed modifications to the List, as applicable.
- Proposed modifications are communicated through:
- A notice of proposal
- Final modifications are announced via:
- A notice of modification
Over time, Health Canada also intends to systematically review and transfer, as appropriate, the Maximum Levels for other contaminants that have been historically established in the List of Maximum Levels for Various Chemical Contaminants in Foods to the List. Meanwhile, both sets of Maximum Levels are enforceable by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods
Supersedes: 2024-12-18 (ref: M-CON-RM-1)
Date published: 2026-07-24
Access archived versions of this list
List of Contaminants and Other Adulterating Substances in Foods
| Item | Column 1 Substance |
Column 2 Food |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| C.1 | Chlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins, except 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin | All foods | n/a |
| C.2 | Cinnamyl anthranilate | All foods | n/a |
| C.3 | Coumarin, an extract of tonka beans, the seed of Dipteryx odorata Willd. or Dipteryx oppositifolia Willd. | All foods | n/a |
| D.1 | Dihydrosafrole | All foods | n/a |
| E.1 | Ethylene thiourea | All foods, except those foods set out in column 2 of item E.2 of Part 2 of this list. | n/a |
| F.1 | Fatty acids and their salts containing chick-edema factor or other toxic factors | All foods | n/a |
| I.1 | Isosafrole | All foods | n/a |
| M.1 | Mineral oil | All foods, except those foods set out in column 2 of item M.1 of Part 2 of this list. | n/a |
| O.1 | Oil of American sassafras from Sassafras albidum (Nutt). Nees | All foods | n/a |
| O.2 | Oil of Brazilian sassafras from Ocotea cymbarum H.B.K. | All foods | n/a |
| O.3 | Oil of camphor sassafrassy from Cinnamomum camphorum Sieb. | All foods | n/a |
| O.4 | Oil of micranthum from Cinnamomum micranthum Hayata | All foods | n/a |
| O.5 | Oil, extract or root of calamus from Acorus calamus L. | All foods | n/a |
| P.1 | Paraffin wax | All foods, except chewing gum with a paraffin wax base | n/a |
| P.2 | Partially hydrogenated oils (PHOs), a fat or oil that is hydrogenated and has an iodine value of greater than 4 | All foods | NOM/ADM-C-2022-1 NOM/ADM-C-2017-3 |
| P.3 | Petrolatum | All foods | n/a |
| S.1 | Safrole | All foods | n/a |
| T.1 | 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin | All foods, except those foods set out in column 2 of item T.1 of Part 2 of this list. | n/a |
| Item | Column 1 Substance |
Column 2 FoodFootnote 1 |
Column 3 Maximum levelFootnote 2 |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.1 | Aflatoxin | Nut; Nut products | 15 ppb of the nut meat portion | n/a |
| A.2 | Arsenic, inorganic (sum of arsenite (As III) and arsenate (As V)) | (a) Fruit juice, except grape juice; Fruit nectar, except grape nectar |
(a) 0.01 ppm in the food as consumed |
NOM/ADM C-2022-3 |
| (b) Grape juice; Grape nectar |
(b) 0.03 ppm in the food as consumed |
NOM/ADM C-2022-3 | ||
| (c) Husked (brown) rice |
(c) 0.35 ppm |
NOM/ADM C-2020-1 | ||
| (d) Polished (white) rice |
(d) 0.2 ppm |
NOM/ADM C-2020-1 | ||
| (e) Rice-based foods intended specifically for infants and young children |
(e) 0.1 ppm |
NOM/ADM C-2022-2 | ||
| A.3 | Arsenic, total | (a) Beverages, except fruit juice, fruit nectar, grape juice and grape nectar |
(a) 0.1 ppm in the food as consumed |
NOM/ADM C-2022-3 NOM/ADM C-2020-2 |
| (b) Edible bone meal |
(b) 1 ppm |
n/a | ||
| (c) Fish protein (as defined in section 18.1.5 of Volume 18 of the Food Compositional Standards Document) |
(c) 3.5 ppm |
n/a | ||
| (d) Water in sealed containers |
(d) 0.01 ppm |
NOM/ADM-C-2017-1 | ||
| C.1 | C22 Monoenoic fatty acids | (a) Cooking oils; Dressings; Foods that resemble margarine or shortening; Margarine; Salad oils; Simulated dairy products; Shortening |
(a) 5% of the total amount of fatty acids in the food |
n/a |
| (b) Infant formula |
(b) 1 kilocalorie from C22 monoenoic fatty acids per 100 available kilocalories in the food as consumed |
n/a | ||
| C.2 | Cyanide, total extractable | Apricot kernels sold for human consumption | 20 ppm | NOM/ADM C-2019-1 |
| E.1 | Ethyl carbamate | (a) |
(a) |
MCON-2605 |
(b) |
(b) |
MCON-2605 | ||
(c) |
(c) |
MCON-2605 | ||
(d) |
(d) |
MCON-2605 | ||
(e) |
(e) |
MCON-2605 | ||
| E.2 | Ethylene thiourea | Cereals; Fruits; Vegetables | 0.05 ppm | n/a |
| F.1 | Fluoride | (a) Edible bone meal |
(a) 650 ppm |
n/a |
| (b) Fish protein (as defined in section 18.1.5 of Volume 18 of the Food Compositional Standards Document) |
(b) 150 ppm |
n/a | ||
| G.1 | Glycoalkaloids, total (sum of alpha-solanine and alpha-chaconine) | Potato tubers | 200 ppm | NOM/ADM C-2018-2 |
| G.2 | Gossypol, free | Cottonseed flour | 450 ppm | n/a |
| L.1 | Lead | (a) Beverages, except fruit juice and fruit nectar |
(a) 0.2 ppm in the food as consumed |
NOM/ADM C-2020-2 |
| (b) Condensed milk; Evaporated milk |
(b) 0.15 ppm |
n/a | ||
| (c) Edible bone meal |
(c) 10 ppm |
n/a | ||
| (d) Fish protein (as defined in section 18.1.5 of Volume 18 of the Food Compositional Standards Document) |
(d) 0.5 ppm |
n/a | ||
| (e) Fruit juice; Fruit nectar |
(e) 0.05 ppm in the food as consumed |
NOM/ADM C-2020-2 NOM/ADM-C-2017-2 |
||
| (f) Infant formula |
(f) 0.01 ppm in the food as consumed |
NOM/ADM C-2020-2 | ||
| (g) Tomato paste; Tomato sauce |
(g) 1.5 ppm |
n/a | ||
| (h) Water in sealed containers |
(h) 0.01 ppm |
NOM/ADM-C-2017-2 | ||
| (i) Whole tomatoes |
(i) 0.5 ppm |
n/a | ||
| M.1 | Mineral oil | Foods requiring the use of mineral oil as part of good manufacturing practices | 3,000 ppm | n/a |
| P.1 | Patulin | Apple juice; Unfermented apple cider | 50 ppb in the food as consumed | NOM/ADM C-2020-2 NOM/ADM C-2018-1 |
| T.1 | 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin | Fish | 20 ppt | n/a |
| T.2 | Tin | Canned foods | 250 ppm | n/a |
|
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| Archived versions | Publication date | Archiving date | Modifications related to | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Version 11 | 2024-12-18 | 2026-07-23 | Regulatory modernisation | M-CON-RM-1 |
| Version 10 | 2022-08-17 | 2024-12-18 | Arsenic | |
| Version 9 | 2022-07-20 | 2022-08-17 | Partially Hydrogenated Oils | C-2022-1 |
| Version 8 | 2020-07-03 | 2022-07-20 | Lead |
C-2020-2 |
| Version 7 | 2020-06-05 | 2020-07-03 | Arsenic | C-2020-1 |
| Version 6 | 2020-01-25 | 2020-06-05 | Cyanide | C-2019-1 |
| Version 5 | 2018-09-17 | 2020-01-25 | Partially Hydrogenated Oils | C-2017-3 |
| Version 4 | 2018-05-14 | 2018-09-17 | Lead | C-2017-2 |
| Arsenic | C-2017-1 | |||
| Version 3 | 2018-01-25 | 2018-05-14 | Glycoalkaloids | C-2018-2 |
| Version 2 | 2018-01-17 | 2018-01-25 | Patulin | C-2018-1 |
| Version 1 | 2016-05-04 | 2018-01-17 | Incorporation by reference | SOR/2016-74 |