Natural Health Products Labelling Requirements Compliance Extension
Natural Health Product Licensing Bulletin No. 10, May 11, 2026
On this page:
At a glance
- The current compliance date for the 2022 amendments to the natural health product (NHP) labelling requirements is June 21, 2028.
- In response to implementation challenges faced by industry, Health Canada has been working with stakeholders since 2024 to better understand these challenges and develop solutions.
- As part of Health Canada’s Red Tape Reduction commitments, the Department plans to amend the labelling requirements in the Natural Health Products Regulations (NHPR) by making them more flexible.
- The draft regulations are targeted for pre-publication in the Canada Gazette, Part I in spring 2027 and will include a new proposed transition period beyond June 2028.
- The new proposed transition timeline will be determined in consultation with stakeholders.
Background
The Regulations Amending the Natural Health Products Regulations (NHPR) were registered on June 21, 2022, and came into force on June 21, 2025. They amended the NHPR with the objective of improving product labelling so that information is clear, consistent, and legible, providing consumers with access to information to make safe and informed choices. As of June 21, 2025, newly licensed NHPs would have had to meet the new labelling requirements, whereas currently licensed products have a transition period until June 21, 2028, to comply.
Following publication of the new Regulations and supporting Guidance document in 2022, Health Canada heard from industry stakeholders that companies were facing challenges in preparing to implement the new requirements. In response, Health Canada initiated a series of stakeholder engagement sessions which began in 2024 to:
- gain a clear understanding of industry’s key challenges with regards to implementing the new labelling requirements;
- identify potential solutions; and
- validate solutions with industry and non-industry stakeholders to support transparency and ensure that consumer objectives are not compromised.
Through this engagement process, Health Canada determined that certain products faced challenges fitting all the required information on their label without compromising readability. For example, products with many ingredients or many risk statements, or when multiple formatting flexibilities are used concurrently. The Department committed to exploring alternative flexibilities, simplified requirements, and the enhanced use of digital labelling to support implementation and better consumer outcomes.
On March 7, 2025, Health Canada published a Ministerial Exemption Order in respect of Labelling Requirements for Certain Natural Health Products. This Order exempted newly licensed NHPs from the new labelling provisions, aligning the compliance date for all NHPs to June 21, 2028. The purpose was to allow time for the Department to continue working with stakeholders to develop solutions.
On September 8, 2025, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada published its Report on Red Tape Reduction, which includes a commitment to advance regulatory amendments to make the labelling requirements more flexible.
Next steps
We are committed to working with regulated parties to develop an approach that supports a smooth transition.
During the regulatory development process, we will engage with impacted stakeholders to assess the costs and benefits of the amendments. This will include determining a transition timeline that minimizes costs to industry.
Contact us
For inquiries about this bulletin, please contact us by email: nnhpd.consultation-dpsnso@hc-sc.gc.ca