Supplement Godfather

Q: I heard that Health Canada is going to start cracking down 
on what supplements can or can’t be sold here in Canada. Is this true?

A: 
Yes, the NHPD (the division of Health Canada that regulates natural health products) is going to begin enforcing its regulations to a much greater degree than in the past. There aren’t any changes to the regulations, which have been in place since 2004. But the NHPD is going to begin stepping up its level of enforcement on natural health products (NHPs), which is Health Canada’s term for “dietary supplement.” To sell a supplement (or NHP) in Canada, a company must first be granted market authorization in the form of a product license and Natural Product Number (NPN). To obtain an NPN, companies must submit a Product License Application, which includes efficacy and safety evidence, to show the product is effective at what it’s recommended for and is safe when used as directed. The application has several other components, including finished product specific cations information. If the NHPD deems it to be satisfactory after thorough review of the application, it will then grant a product license.

This gives the company market authorization to sell the product. Reputable companies follow this product registration process, but that doesn’t stop smaller Canadian and US companies from continuing to sell products in Canada that don’t have a product license. Over the course of the next year or so, the NHPD will be more aggressive with enforcing its regulations at the manufacturing, distribution, and retail levels. So, if a manufacturer, distributor, or
retailer is selling products that don’t have a product license and NPN, the NHPD is more likely to take action against it. This is actually a great thing for the industry and consumers in Canada because, over time, more legitimate products and fewer unlicensed products will end up on store shelves across Canada. In the end, this is better for consumers! There’s no question that products sold here in Canada that have an NPN have gone through a much more rigorous registration process than their US counterparts. In fact, in the US, the dietary supplement regulations allow any person or company to release a product classified as a dietary supplement to the market without any prior registration or licensing process whatsoever. It’s just something to keep in mind when you have the choice to buy a Canadian product versus a US product.

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