Registration of food and feed additives (enzymes) in the United States, Canada, and China

Food and feed additives may be natural, nature identical, or artificial. The main groups of additives are enzymes, antioxidants, colors, flavor enhancers, sweeteners, emulsifiers, stabilizers, and preservatives. Worldwide, all additives are generally thoroughly assessed for safety and efficacy before they are allowed to be used. Most additives are only then permitted to be used in a limited range of products and in certain amounts based on an acceptable daily intake calculated from the results of safety tests. Even when an additive has been approved, regular repeat testing is required to maintain its status as "approved" in many jurisdictions. Food/feed labels give information about most additives present in the ingredients list, so that consumers can make informed choices. For food and feed ingredients there is a comparative report, published in 2013, on the regulatory management between Brazil, Canada, China, European Union, Japan, South Africa, and United States. In this chapter, we summarize the regulatory nutritional additives facts in the United States, Canada, and China. The information on European Union additives regulations are presented in Chapter 25, Registration of food and feed additives-enzymes in the European Union.