New regulations for supplemented foods were announced by Health Canada announced on Jul 20 to inform Canadians to make informed choices about these foods for protecting their health and safety.
The new rules will also facilitate the industry to bring new and innovative products to consumers.
Pre-packaged supplemented foods containing one or more added ingredients, such as vitamins, mineral nutrients, amino acids, caffeine, or herbal extracts include beverages with added minerals, caffeinated energy drinks, and snack bars with added vitamins.
According to scientific studies, the ingredients added to supplemented foods can be harmful if consumed by vulnerable people, such as children or pregnant people or if overconsumed by the general population.
The new regulations would provide supplemented foods with a standardized Supplemented Food Facts table — similar to the Nutrition Facts table that currently helps inform Canadians’ food choices — which includes information on the amount of each supplemental ingredient added informing consumers about caution and directions, strict compositional limits and conditions of use, as well as limits on the types of foods that can be supplemented.
Prohibition on the use of supplemented foods as ingredients or as constituents of ingredients to produce edible cannabis would also be maintained by these regulations.
Prior to these regulations, manufacturers and distributors would be required to obtain a Temporary Marketing Authorization (TMA) to sell supplemented food from Health Canada,
“Supplemented foods that are already on the market with a TMA or for which a company has submitted an application for a TMA before July 21, 2022, that is subsequently approved by Health Canada will have until January 1, 2026, to comply with these new regulations,” a news release has said.
New supplemented foods will need to comply immediately.
#HealthCanada; SupplementalFoods
