Regulatory issues related to functional foods and natural health products in Canada: possible implications for manufacturers of conjugated linoleic acid.

The Canadian Food and Drugs Act and Regulations, through its definitions of food and drug, currently restricts health-related claims for foods, food ingredients, and natural health products (NHPs). Over the past few decades, scientific research has led to a large body of information that demonstrates the benefits for health of many food and NHP ingredients. Health Canada recognized the constraints of the current regulatory environment and started to develop regulations related to the allowance of health claims for functional foods and NHPs, including those foods and NHPs that would contain conjugated linoleic acid isomers. Health Canada has 3 initiatives under way in the area of health claims for foods: 1) to adopt the generic health claims of the United States within a Canadian context, 2) to develop scientific standards of evidence and a guidance document for supporting the validity of product-specific claims, and 3) to develop an overall regulatory framework for functional foods. In 2000, Health Canada announced approval for the use of 5 generic diet-related health claims: sodium and hypertension, calcium and osteoporosis, saturated and trans fat and cholesterol and coronary artery disease, fruits and vegetables and cancer, and sugar alcohols and dental caries. Under a separate initiative, Natural Health Products Regulations were published in the Canada Gazette Part II on June 18, 2003. The NHP Regulations came into force on January 1, 2004, with a transition period ranging from 2 y (for site licensing) to 6 y (for product licensing, for products already issued a drug identification number).