Blog

Diabetes is a disease of global health concern, and its incidence is rising annually. Approximately 3.2 million Canadians are currently living with diabetes, and 550 Canadians are diagnosed with diabetes each day. By targeting additional biomarkers for the diagnosis of diabetes, we may help individuals at higher risk for developing the...

What are Clinical Trials? Clinical trials are research studies designed to find new or improved ways to prevent, diagnose or treat a health condition or disease (or their symptoms). While some types of research studies can be done in a lab or using an animal model, the term “clinical trials”...

Health Canada has a robust regulatory framework for natural health products (NHPs) to ensure products are safe and effective for Canadian consumers, but how closely are these regulations being enforced? A recent performance audit was conducted by the Office of the Auditor General of Canada. The purpose of the audit...

A nutrition facts table helps consumers make informed food choices when grocery shopping and preparing food at home. By law, most packaged food in Canada must have a nutrition facts table. Many aspects of the table are specifically regulated by Health Canada including: size of the table, weight of the...

Recognizing that there is a significant increase and attempt to sell sanitizer products to Canadians: in February of this year, Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD) issued a compliance notice to all businesses that hold natural health product licenses for alcohol-based sanitizer. Some of the items outlined in the...

As a full-service Canadian contract research organization, Source has a wealth of experience supporting our clients along the research and development pathway: from the start of a product concept, to attaining a health claim on a marketed product! Our Regulatory Affairs Team has helped countless industry clients register Natural Health...

Recently, the CFIA announced an amendment to the timelines in for the implementation of the new Nutrition Facts Table (NFT) regulations. They have issued the following statement: While the end of the transition period for the amendments will remain December 14, 2021, the CFIA will focus its efforts on education and...

During a difficult time like a pandemic, the safety of our families and those we love is paramount. This affects those in our bubble or household—including ourselves. Scientific experts and food safety authorities around the world are closely observing the spread of COVID-19. Through this observation, evidence shows that there...

In an effort to improve the quality of Natural Health Products (NHPs) produced in (and imported into) Canada, Health Canada is revisiting and implementing a third round of an inspection program for site licensed facilities. Currently, Health Canada issues an NHP Site License following a paper-based review of evidence in...

Conducting clinical research in the COVID-19 era certainly has its challenges! Changes in study site capacities unfortunately has the potential to impact study timelines and budgets.  We are pleased to have partnered with a new private medical clinic in Winnipeg which has hospital-grade ventilation and spacious rooms to ensure that...

The Safe Food for Canadians (SFC) licence program reached its second year in commission on January 15th, 2021. As the regulations are always progressing and changing, the next phase will be coming into effect as of March 15, 2021. Food imported into Canada will automatically be rejected unless a valid...

Supplement manufacturer NOW has expressed concern over the last few years for the number of adulterated products that are being sold on Amazon, conducting independent tests of the products sold on the website to confirm their growing suspicions. Some of the tests that were conducted by NOW of other supplement...

How do Canadian consumers make point-of-sale purchasing decisions when choosing “Product A” over “Product B”? There are a few factors which come into play, including price, branding, packaging, and claims. Label claims are a great way to differentiate your food product from your competitor’s product.  Consumer research has shown that...

As more and more North Americans are self-isolating, we are seeing a lot of movement behind the scenes of retail grocery stores. With enormous changes in the food-service sector and food manufacturers adapting to a new focus on customers, the food sector is learning the meaning of collaboration. At the...

It is no surprise that disinfectants and hand sanitizers have been in the public eye recently due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Although they do not claim to kill viruses, hand sanitizers can help reduce the risk of infection by spread of microorganisms. As a result, Health Canada has introduced new...

Health Canada has announced that beginning July 1, 2020, industry will be able to distribute, as samples to the general public and a broader category of health care providers, certain over-the-counter drugs (OTC) and natural health products (NHP) as a strategy to encourage their use on a trial basis. This...

Recently, several dietary supplement products have been recalled because of Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) violations. GMP are part of the quality assurance process that ensures products are safe to use and are of quality. We’ve written about the importance of having a traceability program in the past–and it’s still just as crucial to have...

2020 not only represents the start of a new decade, but it is definitely proving to be a year to be remembered!  The Source Team has conducted a regulatory roundup to help keep our clients connected with all the latest developments in the Canadian health products sector. Read on to...

Government of Canada: Health Canada is launching public consultations on the strict regulation of additional cannabis products, namely edible cannabis, cannabis extracts and cannabis topicals. The consultation will be open starting December 20, 2018 until February 20, 2019. The purpose of these consultations build on the Government of Canada’s public health...

They say a picture is worth a thousand words… and good photography plays a huge role in determining sales! High quality product photos are a driving force of engagement, conversion, value and retention for customers. These photos not only enrich your content, but help you speak to your target audience...