Health Canada is the Federal department responsible for helping Canadians maintain and improve their health, while respecting individual choices and circumstances.As a sweetener or flavor enhancer, the quantity used should be according to conditions of Good Manufacturing Practice. Specifically, the amount added to a natural health product in manufacturing and processing should not exceed the amount required to accomplish the purpose for which that non-medicinal ingredient is permitted to be added. As a non-medicinal ingredient, it should not exceed 4 mg/kg of bw/day expressed as steviol content.The use of steviol glycosides as a food additive was approved by Health Canada on November 30th, 2012.  The regulation was published as a Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Sweeteners. Prior to its approval, stevia was only available as a Natural Health Product.  The 2012 food additive approval follows Health Canada’s evaluation of the extensive data supporting the safety of steviol glycosides as a sweetener for food and beverages.  According to the regulation, steviol glycosides can be used in a wide range of categories, including beverages, breakfast cereals, bakery products, desserts, fruit and nut spreads, confectionary, and table-top sweeteners.November 30 2012 Notice of Modification to the List of Permitted Sweeteners to Enable the Use of Steviol Glycosides as a Table-Top Sweetener and as a Sweetener in Certain Food Categories – Document Reference Number NOM/ADM-0002