In the last issue, Foodmate introduced the management of microbial food cultures (MFC) in Chinese Mainland, Taiwan, China, the European Union, and the United States. This issue mainly introduces the regulation of MFC in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore.

1. Canada

In Canada, the MFC is regulated by Health Canada. "Reference List for Probiotic Claims" lists the probiotics that are allowed to be used in food, including 16 strains such as Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Bifidobacterium bifidum, and Bifidobacterium breve. In addition, the Natural Health Products Ingredients Database (NHPID) provides an electronic tool which enables members of the public to access information on the probiotics.

2. Australia and New Zealand

In Australia and New Zealand, the MFC is regulated by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) . For microbial cultures that enterprises are unsure whether they are new food ingredients, FSANZ recommends that they first consult the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods (ACNF), which would advice on whether a food belongs to a new food ingredient.

3. Singapore  

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is the main food safety regulator. It is understood that SFA has not issued any guidance on the use of MFC. According to SFA's reply to Foodmate, the SFA has allowed the use of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus with a long history of consumption (e.g. Bifidobacterium bifidum, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus deuterium) as probiotics in appropriate food categories.

4. Summary

In summary, most of the above countries and regions have issued MFC lists, with the exception of Singapore. For MFC with traditional consumption habits outside the list, only the EU has issued a relatively complete list. For microbial cultures without traditional consumption habits outside the list, the above countries and regions require that they must undergo strict risk assessment and be included in the list of new food ingredients or the list of MFC before they can be used in food.