If you are an online shopper, you would have used or at least heard of Amazon.com, Inc. As of October 2018, Amazon has $208.125 billion in trailing twelve-month (TTM) revenue. This astounding milestone makes Amazon the largest Internet company by revenue in the world. With that being said, it is of no surprise that Amazon is trailblazing by expanding their reach into the health care industry and launching brick-and-mortar stores. Amazon is enticing consumers with an abundance of changes.
Not Just Great Electronics Deals
Amazon also extended ties with the purchase of the organic supermarket giant-Whole Foods Market in August 2017. Amazon Prime Days extends deals in Whole Foods stores.
Amazon also offers enhanced discounts on select popular products to all Prime members shopping at Whole Foods Market stores across the U.S. Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) expects Amazon to comply as any other food retailer impacting the health and well-being of Canada’s people, environment and economy.
In September 2018, Amazon announced requirements demanding total compliance with Health Canada’s regulations for all non-prescription drugs, supplements, and natural health products (NHPs) sold in Canada through their services.
Listing Restriction Policies
The food label is one of the most important and direct means of communicating product information between buyers and sellers. Since selling on Amazon is a form of retail, products sold in Canada must comply to the listing restriction policies in place. General listing restrictions include:
- Bilingual Packaging and Labelling Laws
- Accurate and Non-misleading Claims
- Environmental marketing standards set by the Canadian Standards Association
- Competition Bureau policies
For more information, look to the following regulating bodies:
- Canadian Code of Advertising Standards
- Enforcement Guidelines on “Product of Canada” and “Made in Canada” Claims.
Product-Specific Listings
Policies aren’t limited to general restrictions. Many products sold fall within listings that require statements or disclosures Product-specific listing restrictions include:
- Labelling of appliances must comply with the Energy Efficiency Act and Energy Efficiency Regulations
- Cosmetic and Natural Health Products (NHPs)
- Medical device claims must be approved/cleared
For more information, look to the following regulating bodies:
Not all categories and restrictions that are specific to Amazon’s selling policies have been outlined in this post. If you’re already selling on Amazon.ca or you plan to: your safest option to limit risk associated with the new selling policies is to reach out to our team. We’ve got years of experience in helping leading specialty brands minimize their time to market and maximize their return on investment.
