Canada's New Supplement Labels Still Hide Details

Canada’s natural health market is undergoing a shift as the government aims to make supplement labeling more transparent. The new rules require vitamin and mineral supplements to carry clear allergen listings, more readable packaging, and a facts table similar to those on food labels. These changes are part of an update to Health Canada’s Natural Health Products Regulations in 2022, which were introduced in response to complaints from safety advocates. Companies have until 2028 to adopt the new standards, though officials are allowing more time for smaller businesses to adjust.

As part of Canada’s push to make the $13 billion natural health market more transparent, vitamin and mineral supplements will soon be labelled as clearly as a bag of chips. Nearly half of Canadians take an herbal or nutritional supplement daily, a habit that surged early on in the pandemic as people turned to alternative remedies. The industry is divided over the new labeling requirements, with large supplement manufacturers having largely absorbed the changes, while smaller companies are feeling the strain and still scrambling to adapt. This financial pressure is compounded by the need for extensive redesigns.

The cost of compliance

Large manufacturers have largely absorbed the changes, but smaller companies are feeling the strain. Caitlyn Vanderhaeghe, president and CEO of KidStar Nutrients, says redesigning product labels isn’t cheap. The rules are particularly challenging because the timeline for compliance gives companies little certainty; she notes that regulations might change again before 2028. Vanderhaeghe wants to display marketing messages such as “no artificial preservatives” on her products, but smaller labels and peel-back designs make these less visible to consumers. KidStar and other companies have expressed cost concerns with the new rules, so Health Canada is giving them until June 2028 to adjust before compliance becomes mandatory.

“It’s very hard for us,” Vanderhaeghe says. Jamieson Wellness Inc., one of Canada’s largest supplement manufacturers, supports the new labeling rules. Ruth Winker, the company’s vice president of corporate affairs, notes that existing systems already require strong evidence for health claims. Companies must submit studies to Health Canada to support a product’s safety and efficacy before selling it. Jamieson has expressed support for the new labelling rules, emphasizing that the current regulatory framework already demands rigorous scientific validation for any marketing claims a company wishes to make.

Language and loopholes

The real problem, according to Timothy Caulfield of the University of Alberta, isn’t the packaging but the language used to sell products. He says companies use wiggle words like “enhance” and “promote” to give the impression that products are clearly efficacious, even when evidence doesn’t support that. Caulfield added, “They use wiggle words like ‘enhance’ and ‘promote’ in order to give the very strong impression that these products are clearly efficacious, despite the fact the evidence doesn’t support that.” The supplement space has become one of the biggest drivers of health-related falsehoods online, with the marketing of supplements also becoming one of the primary ways that the health misinformation ecosystem is funded.

Certain health claims are already banned under the Food and Drugs Act, which prohibits advertising products as treatments for depression or obesity. But vague claims such as “supports immune function” or “helps maintain cognitive health” remain largely untouched. “There’s so much misinformation about supplements,” says Timothy Caulfield, a University of Alberta law professor who studies health misinformation. Despite the push for transparency, the new rules do not address the biggest gap of all: whether supplements actually work. Caulfield says the changes are a step forward, but more is needed to close the information gap.

What’s inside the bottle

Labels don’t always match what’s in the bottle. Health Canada allows a 20 per cent variance between the label and the actual contents because the potency of natural products degrades over time. A supplement listed at 100mg of an active ingredient can actually contain closer to 80mg or 120mg. Hanan Hammad is a writer and strategist exploring how communication and innovation shape public understanding, particularly around health misinformation. She has worked across public, corporate and research sectors, contributing to organizations including Deloitte and the Canadian Human Rights Commission. She is currently a fellow in Journalism & Health Impact at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health.

“This is considered an acceptable level of variance from the amount declared on the label,” said Health Canada spokesperson André Gagnon in an email. Caulfield says the new rules still don’t address the biggest gap of all: whether supplements actually work. “I’m glad that we’re seeing more transparency, but we need so much more.” While the $13 billion market continues to grow, the discrepancy between consumer expectations and scientific evidence remains a persistent issue for regulators and manufacturers alike.