Health Canada policy

Nutraceuticals/Functional Foods and Health Claims on Foods. Policy Paper, Therapeutic Products Programme and the Food Directorate, Health Canada. November 1998. 

The National Health Products Directorate and Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada believe these new policies, when fully enacted, will serve the consumer well. By meeting quality and safety standards based on good manufacturing practices and only allowing health claims supported by appropriate levels of evidence to accompany natural health products, the basis for rational use has been established (Health Canada, 2004). 

Of course, this restriction has caused some consternation among herbalists or Chinese practitioners who still believe that within the context of traditional use, Ma Huang has its merits. In Canada, the ephedrine alkaloid is limited to levels well below the excesses seen in U.S. products, a policy that allows the continued sale of traditional Chinese Ephedra products. Canada also allows Ephedra to be included in products used for nasal congestion in the following small doses 8 mg/dose or 32 mg/day of ephedrine and 400 mg/ dose or 1600 mg/day. However, Health Canada has issued several warnings regarding the illegal sale of Ephedra and the potential risks that are involved, particularly when it is combined with caffeine or other stimulants. 

Center for Intellectual Property Policy and Health Law Institute (2004). The Research or Experimental Use Exemption A Comparative Analysis. Report prepared for Health Canada. Available http //www.cipp.mcgill.ca/data/publications/ Accessed 23 July 2006. 

Health Canada. 1998. Policy Paper— Nutraceuticals/functional foods and health claims on foods. Available at http //www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/claims-reclam/nutrafunct foods-nutra-fonct aliment-eng. php, accessed Feb. 16, 2009. 

Health Canada - Health Protection Branch, Therpaeutic Products Programme and Food Directorate (1998) Nutraceuticals/functional foods and health claims on foods final policy. http //www.hc-sc.ca/hpb-dgps/therapeut/htmleng/ffh.html... 

In countries like the United States, Canada, Australia, many European countries and certain others food regulations have existed for many decades. Many countries have yet to formulate national food policies, responding appropriately to their health situation and economy, or, where these policies have been formulated, they often do not reflect appropriately the tme nature and extent of current or emerging food safety problems. The advances in science and technology are important stimuli for modification of the laws.1... 

Furthermore, health policy makers in Europe and Canada can point to widely respected statistics gathered annually by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, according to which the United States ranks remarkably low in the OECD on many standard health status indicators, such as the infant mortality rate, life expectancy at birth and at age 60, and potential years of life lost per 100,000 population, that is, life... 

Joel Lexchin is an Associate Professor in the School of Health Policy and Management at York University and a practicing emergency physician in Toronto. He has been a consultant on pharmaceutical issues for the governments of Ontario, Canada, and New Zealand as well as the World Health Organization and the Australian National Prescribing Service. 

Clinical Trial Review and Approval, Drugs Directorate, Policy Issues, Health and Welfare Canada, 1995. TPP (Therapeutic Products Program, Canada), http //www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hpb-dgps/ therapeut/htmleng/whatsnew.html. 

OTA reviewed recent trends in payment methods for prescription drugs in five countries Australia, Canada, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom. To a greater or lesser extent in each of these countries, drug payment policy is governed by two potentially conflicting objectives to minimize health insurance prescription drug costs and to help the country s domestic pharmaceutical industry. Payment policies represent a blend between these objectives. 

Caulfield T (2005). Policy conflict Gene patents and health care in Canada. Community Genet. 8 223-227. 

As things stand today, policy is in process of change. So far I have concentrated on toxicity requirements for pesticides in relation to food residues. In 1978, a separate unit was established in the Environmental Health Directorate, which serves to advise Agriculture Canada on the adequacy of toxicity data to support safety in use, with reference to occupational and by-stander exposures. Obviously, in this area of concern, the presence or absence of residues in food is only a relatively minor portion of the potential exposure of the individual. 

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