History of the Canadian Framework for the Management of Health Claims for Foods

The current review of the framework for the management of health claims for foods follows a number of other initiatives aimed at improving the health claims system in Canada.

In November 1998, in response to growing consumer and marketing interest in nutrition and health, Health Canada released the Policy Paper on Nutraceuticals/Functional Foods and Health Claims on Foods.

In 2002, an Interim Guidance Document was published that outlined standards of evidence for evaluating foods with health claims. In 2003, the Food and Drug Regulations were amended to introduce the first series of authorized health claims in Canada (Food and Drug Regulations, B.01.600). In 2009, Health Canada updated the Interim Guidance Document replacing it with the Guidance Document for Preparing a Submission for Food Health Claims.

Also in 2009, Health Canada posted the Guidance Document - The Use of Probiotic Microorganisms in Food and a new guidance document entitled, Classification of Products at the Food-Natural Health Product Interface: Products in Food Format.

As an Outcome of the 2007 Consultation on the Current Framework for Health Claims, Health Canada's Action Plan in Response to Stakeholder Feedback from Consultations on  Modernizing Canada's Framework for Health Claims on Food provides an account of the activity already undertaken by Health Canada with respect to modernizing Canada's framework on health claims as well as activity to be taken by Health Canada over the next few years.