Probiotic Claims on Food

A recent trend in the marketplace is the promotion of food products with health claims about probiotic bacteria. Health Canada has posted a Guidance Document entitled "The Use of Probiotic Microorganisms in Food", along with a Notice to Stakeholders, to provide guidance to the food industry to prevent false, misleading or deceptive claims about products containing probiotic microorganisms. The purpose of this Guidance Document is to clarify the acceptable use of health claims about microorganisms represented as "probiotics" on food labels and in advertising. It also provides guidance on the safety, quality (stability) and labelling aspects of food products containing probiotic microorganisms. In addition, Health Canada has accepted a limited number of claims about the nature of probiotic microorganisms. These claims may be made on food without the need for further substantiation when guidance for their use is followed.

Resources

• Guidance Document - The Use of Probiotic Microorganisms in Food
• Notice to Stakeholders
• Accepted Claims about the nature of probiotic microorganisms
• Questions and Answers on Probiotics