Regulations One Step Closer

If you've been following the issue of natural health product regulation in Canada, then you'll know there are a lot of opinions out there as to whether we need it or not. Whatever your take, the latest move by the Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD, formerly the Office of Natural Health Products) puts Canada one step closer to establishing a set of guidelines for the industry.

Last fall, the NHPD asked for public and industry feedback on their proposed "standards of evidence" document. The document deals with subjects such as whether to allow product health claims, what types of evidence different products should have and whether labels should indicate the type of evidence used to support the claim. The NHPD held workshops in Halifax, Montreal, Saskatoon, Toronto and Vancouver, and also requested written comments from October until December. For any updates on their findings, visit the NHPD website at hc-sc.gc.ca/hpb/onhp.