There are roughly 500 food additives that have been permitted by Health Canada over the years.
From aspartame-based sweeteners in soda to sodium nitrites in cold cuts, potentially harmful chemical additives and dyes can be found in every aisle of your local grocery store. But how do we compare to our neighbours down south when it comes to regulating these additives?
Well, it turns out that Canada’s list of banned ingredients is considerably longer than America’s.
Here are five ingredients that are FDA-approved but deemed unsafe to consume by Health Canada.
It’s important to note that, while these ingredients are banned in Canada, they may still be present in imported food products from the United States. Consumers should be aware of these ingredients and get in the habit of reading labels before purchasing products.
Potassium Bromate
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Commonly used in bagels and hamburgers buns, potassium bromate, which is used to bleach dough and give it elasticity, has been linked to kidney, nervous system, and thyroid problems, as well as cancer.
Since being approved in the 1960s, potassium bromate has not been reviewed by the FDA since 1973.
It is banned in many countries, including Canada, the European Union, and China.
Olestra
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Initially used in potato chips under the WOW brand by Frito-Lay, Olestra was accidentally discovered in the late 1960s by a pair of Procter & Gamble researchers. The fat substitute was later proven to reduce fat-soluble vitamins in the body, preventing a person from absorbing vitamins from healthy carotenoids found in fruits and vegetables. It’s also linked to diarrhea, cramps, and gas.
While approved in the United States in 1996, the artificial trans fat is banned in Canada.
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Ractopamine
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According to the Canadian Pork Council, Canada’s federally inspected processing plants, which produce 97% of Canadian pork, require hogs sold to market to be “Ractopamine free.”
Additionally, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) guarantees that the pork exported from Canada comes from pigs that have never been fed ractopamine or otherwise exposed to it. This is not the case in the United States.
It is, however, permitted as a feed additive for turkeys and (non-dairy) cows.
BHA and BHT
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Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) and the related Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA) are preservatives that keep food and other perishable products fresh. Often used in breakfast cereals, The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies BHA as a possible human carcinogen.
The FDA considers BHA to be safe for use in food when the total of antioxidants is not greater than 0.02% of fat or oil content.
While you shouldn’t find it on Canadian grocery shelves, small amounts are still permitted in cosmetics sold here.
rBGH
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According to the American Cancer Society, Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is a “synthetic (man-made) hormone that is marketed to dairy farmers to increase milk production in cows.”
It was banned by Health Canada in 1999 due to concerns over animal health and welfare. While still approved in the US, demand for this product has gone down significantly in recent years.
To explore the full list of food additives that have been approved in Canada, you can visit the official Health Canada web page.
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