ARCHIVED - Status of Disease Risk Reduction Claims in Canada

Permitted Claims

Since 2003, Health Canada has allowed some science-based disease risk reduction claims to be used on food labels or in advertisements.

See Section B.01.603 of the Food and Drug Regulations for the complete list of permitted statements and claims and conditions for their use.

Review of scientific data on a regular basis means that this is an evolving list. As new disease risk reduction claims are approved, they will be posted here.

Claims have been allowed since 2003 on the following relationships:

• a healthy diet low in sodium and high in potassium and reduced risk of high blood pressure;
• a healthy diet with adequate calcium and vitamin D and reduced risk of osteoporosis;
• a healthy diet low in saturated and trans fat and reduced risk of heart disease;
• a healthy diet rich in vegetables and fruit and reduced risk of some types of cancers;
• non-fermentable carbohydrates in gums and hard candies and reduction in dental caries

Proposed Claims

Health Canada is currently reviewing comments on it's Position Paper on New Proposed Health Claims which details its plan to proceed with publication of proposed regulatory amendments in Canada Gazette Part 1 to allow two new health claims about the following relationships:

• a healthy diet rich in a variety of vegetables, fruit and whole grain products and reduced risk of heart disease; and
• a diet rich in folate along with a daily folic acid supplement and reduced risk of having a baby with a birth defect of the brain or spinal cord