Nutrasource Blog

Natural Health Products (NHPs) are naturally occurring substances that maintain, promote, or restore good health.¹ To receive Health Canada approval, an NHP must carry at least one health claim and that health claim must have a health context. For example, “Source of antioxidants for the maintenance of good health.” In addition to the recommended use or purpose statement(s), there are several parameters that form part of an NHP’s Product Licence or Terms of Market Authorization (TMA), including product classification, product representation, composition / ingredients, directions for use, duration of use, risk information, allergen source disclosure, storage conditions, etc.² Marketing claims can be made around any of these aspects, and while they do not typically appear in the Product Licence Application (PLA) since they lack the required health context, they need to be consistent with the product’s TMA. Product performance, content, comparisons, representations of opinion and authorization, and side effect claims may also be considered marketing language.³ Some examples of acceptable advertising claims are provided in the Table below.

As a result of the pandemic, respiratory and seasonal illnesses, and other emerging threats, consumers are more interested, invested, and involved in their wellbeing than ever before. When it comes to health products, consumers are motivated by those that are clean or naturally-sourced, convenient, scientifically substantiated, and tailored to meet their personal needs. Thus, driving industry trends towards transparency, sustainability, personalization, and virtual approaches.

If you're already selling your supplement on Amazon in the U.S. or elsewhere around the globe, Canada is a natural next step to achieve growth and gain market share.

But if you're looking to enter the Canadian market for the first time via Amazon.ca, be warned - it's not as simple as setting up an account and listing your products!

Increasingly, over the past few years, the dietary supplement industry has emphasized quality control and claim substantiation. At times, companies conserve on quality control and can end up with a product that doesn't match the claims and ingredients on the label. Many look to third-party organizations that help solve this problem by objectively certifying supplements for purity, safety, and quality. Non-GMO certification has become an useful tool to address some of these concerns. Keep reading to learn more about consumer demand for third-party tested products and ingredients and learn more about the Non-GMO certification process.

Consumers today are far more educated and discerning in their choice of dietary supplements. For context, one in five of US consumers make a transparent vitamin and supplement brand their first choice, according to a consumer market research study, as they seek transparency and third-party certification to back up their claims. Outlined in the 2021 TTC ITC Insights Consumer Supplement User survey, 31% of consumers consider quality certifications and seals on labels/ website a key driver of trust.

This goes beyond consumers, when healthcare practitioners were surveyed, over half of the dietitians surveyed considered quality certifications and seals displayed as the number one driver of trust. 

Needless to say, having third-party certifications back your claims is critical both for consumer consumption and healthcare practitional referral of product. As mentioned, one area that leading dietary supplement brands have leveraged is third-party certifications related to Non-GMO testing. Not only are consumers looking for Non-GMO tested products and ingredients, many retailers require a brand to have third-party certification validating their Non-GMO claims.

Making a Non-GMO claim through traditional supply chain verification is impossible for some ingredients. Certifications by Nutrasource has a streamlined and effective process that assists your product and/or ingredient in acheiving these certifications.

Below we address some of the common questions we receive related to Non-GMO testing and certification.

The first steps when developing any health and wellness product is to know first, what it is and second, how its regulated and in each target market as categorization may differ between regions. Many factors are taken under consideration when determining product classification as summarized in the figure below.

Starting with the end in mind

Sesame has recently been added to the list of major food allergens, here's what you need to know for product labelling.

As the cannabidiol (CBD) market continues to gain steam, global regulators are working to carve out or update legal pathways to market. This makes keeping up—and staying compliant—an ongoing challenge for brands.

What if you could develop one dietary supplement, with a single product specification, and sell it in multiple countries simultaneously – with no reformulation or regulatory headaches involved?

For the past decade, I've written and educated industry about the benefits of substantiating dietary supplement claims, from the rationale of complying with national regulatory rules to remaining ahead of the innovation curve.

But despite policing from the U.S.-FDA and FTC, and the negative media attention surrounding offending brands, the supplement industry still has a substantiation problem. There are far too many instances of companies under fire (or yet to be under fire) for unsubstantiated, misleading, or deceptive claims.

The good news is that this can be fixed with a clearer understanding of what qualifies as substantiation and how companies can benefit from making the investment in quality research. Read on to find out what you need to know.