At this time of year most nutrition writers are sizing up the year and giving us a snapshot of the top food and nutrition stories that have changed the way we eat. Top stories range from the outrageous KFC Double Down to the continuing saga of new vitamin D recommendations. Amid new food products and nutrition studies, a new peice of legislation was quietly passed on December 15, 2010 that will impact all Canadian's ability to access herbal products and other health supplements.
The new Bill C-36 is called the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) and, according to the Toronto-based Canadian Health Food Association (CHFA), it's purpose is "to modernize and strengthen a 40-year-old product safety law" called the Hazardous Products Act. As the name suggests, the Hazardous Products Act ensures that harmful products do not find their way into the marketplace by enforcing hefty fines and jail time for offenders. Health Canada also has the power to investigate and ban any products that may result in adverse health effects. And there's also the Food & Drug Act which regulates natural health products and what health claims they are allowed to make. Sounds like the Canadian public is already well protected from harmful health products, right?
Toronto lawyer Peter Pliszka from Fasken Martineau Du-Moulin LLP believes the new CCPSA is changing a system that was working just fine. In an interview with the National Post, he calls the new law "a somewhat draconian legislative fix" that gives 200 new inspectors the power to seize products and documents from business owners without a warrant. Personal and business information obtained from the inspection can also be shared with foreign governments without consent.
For Canadian consumers, this means that herbal and other health products they are currently using may be pulled from the shelves without notice, particularly if the retailer has not obtained a $75,000 NPN number from the regulatory system.
Small supplement retailers and product manufacturers are reeling from the consequences of this over-regulation. Some small companies have already been forced to shutdown because they can't afford the NPN number required by Health Canada. The Natural Health Products Association has launched a 3-part plan to stand up for these companies and combat this regulatory crisis.
Two-thirds of Canadians used natural health products and a growing segment is coming to rely on herbal, homeopathic and functional food products to maintain their health. Are you among them? If you wish to learn more about this most under-reported, under-hyped nutrition news story, visit the Natural Health Products Association website. They also have a quick link for you to contact your MP about Bill C-36.
Comments
The government should ban the Double-Down sandwich if they are worried about protecting people from harmful products.
The government is NOT worried about protecting people from harmful products - if they ever happen to offer any protection it is unintentional or happenstance.
If you want to avoid harmful products, you better inform yourself, because what's the government calls safe, may not be, and many things that are banned are not harmful.
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