Canadian regulations for health claims on food products are “rigid” compared to the U.S. and therefore put Canadian consumers at a disadvantage when it comes to knowing the health benefits of certain products, according to a study from independent research organization the Fraser Institute.
“The Regulation of Health Claims in Advertising” reviews the commercial health claims associated with nutraceuticals, functional foods, and natural health products.
The report points out that Health Canada only allows five advertising claims concerning reduced risks of disease, compared to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which allows 27 health claims.
The five permissible health claims in Canada are:
•Low sodium and high potassium to reduce the risk of high blood pressure
•Adequate calcium and vitamin D for osteoporosis
•Low saturated and trans fat to reduce the risk of heart disease
•Consumption of fruits and vegetables to decrease the risk of certain cancers
•Reduced dietary sugar alcohols to lessen the chances of dental caries (tooth decay)
“The research reviewed in this report suggests there’s a link between consuming particular foods and lowering your risk of developing certain diseases, but in Canada you won’t find the potential health benefits of many food elements printed on product labels,” said Brett Skinner, Fraser Institute director of bio-pharma and health policy, in a release.
According to the report, in 2005 Health Canada estimated 71% of Canadians regularly use nutraceuticals, (vitamins and minerals, homeopathic medicines, etc).
That number might be larger if it included Canadians who have changed their consumption of certain foods or food products because of associated health claims, according to the study.
The author of the Fraser Institute’s report, Mark Brosens, conducted an analysis to determine whether Canadian and American advertising regulations were in line with scientific research found in a sample of 416 academic papers.
He found 78% of the scientific conclusions in the sample were in line with the five permissible Canadian health claims, while 22% disagreed with Canada’s approved claims.
In comparison, 64% of the sample’s entries were in agreement with the 27 American health claims, while 36% disagreed with those approved in the U.S.
“Brosens’s research suggests that the health claims permitted in both countries are scientifically sound. But at the same time, the results show that Canada’s advertising guidelines are more restrictive,” Skinner said.
Fraser concluded Canada should harmonize its regulations with those in the U.S. In that way, advertisers could use phrases like “although there is scientific evidence supporting the claim, the evidence is not conclusive…” and “very limited and preliminary scientific research suggests…” This would help consumers make “informed health care decisions while still acknowledging that the alleged benefits are not a certainty,” according to the Fraser Institute.
