Ottawa to revive supplement safety bill C51 and C52

[Guest guest]

Did we really think they wouldn't? I always thought the ones celebrating victory were somewhat premature...

 

Seems strange that we need to have strict regulation for an industry that has done no harm--and has helped millions immeasurably---yet the tainted foods we import simply elicit a big government yawn...(article following)...

On second thought given the way governments operate today ---maybe it isn't strange at all.....

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081030.wlvitamins30/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

Ottawa to revive supplement safety bill

 

 

MARTIN MITTELSTAEDT

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

October 30, 2008 at 8:47 AM EDT

 

Health Minister Tony Clement plans to reintroduce controversial legislation giving the federal government more oversight regarding the quality and safety of supplements, vitamins and other natural health products.

A spokeswoman for the minister, Laryssa Waler, said yesterday that Ottawa intends to go forward with new safety proposals to cover the booming and poorly regulated supplement field, but didn't offer a timeline.

The decision is likely to cause another pitched battle within the natural health products industry, where one major player, Jamieson Laboratories, yesterday issued a public call for stricter regulations. It argues that current rules are so lax that Ottawa can't even order harmful products off store shelves and is only able to issue toothless health advisories.

The earlier legislation, known as bill C-51, prompted a vociferous campaign by some smaller health-products companies that said it would lead to government restrictions on the types of supplements available on the market. The bill died when the election was called.

Jamieson had supported the previously proposed law and said that even tougher standards were needed to protect public health from tainted materials in supplements.

The pressing need for more oversight was highlighted on Tuesday when Health Canada issued an advisory saying that a company inadvertently sold a product labelled as containing vitamin C that was improperly manufactured using vitamin A instead. The products were sold under the brand names of New Roots Herbal Vitamin C8 and Vitazan Professional Vitamin C Advanced Ascorbate.

Health Canada warned the pills may contain high doses of vitamin A, exposing users "to potential risks of adverse events." It urged consumers, particularly pregnant women, not to use them.

The warning is the latest in a long string of advisories Health Canada has made during the past two years over undeclared drugs, heavy metals and steroid hormones, among other deleterious substances, that have been found in some natural health products.

"Our government is committed to reintroducing food product safety legislation," Ms. Waler said. "It was in our platform that we will introduce new product safety legislation that will be in the spirit of C-51."

The numerous advisories risk damaging consumer confidence in natural products, which are used regularly by about four out of 10 Canadians. Jamieson, one of the largest Canadian-based supplement makers, held a news conference in Toronto yesterday to showcase its own product safety protocol, which it says is one of the best in the business. It also renewed its call for more federal oversight of the industry.

Federal regulation has "been too slow and did not go far enough," says Vic Neufeld, Jamieson's president and chief executive officer. "The Canadian consumer has to be protected."

Among Jamieson's safety steps are the auditing of its own suppliers and dedicating about 20 per cent of its work force to quality control and testing.

Mr. Neufeld said one weakness in Canada is that a company importing a health product ingredient only has to conduct safety tests on one shipment from offshore suppliers each year. In South Korea, by contrast, the government requires every batch that Jamieson sends there to be tested. But a spokesman for one of the companies that led the fight against bill C-51 said his firm opposes more rules.

Ian Stewart, director of regulatory affairs for Truehope Nutritional Support Ltd., maker of a nutrient supplement the company purports to help against mental illness, says new rules will be used by the government "to restrict and remove natural health products from the market." He said the beneficiaries of increased regulation would be the large drug and supplement companies.

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081031.wlmelamine31/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth

 

 

Melamine fears spread to tainted animal feed

 

CARLY WEEKS

From Friday's Globe and Mail

October 31, 2008 at 9:06 AM EDT

 

Reports that Chinese producers regularly add melamine to animal feed are sparking new fears that more Canadian products could be contaminated with the industrial chemical.

The revelation, prompted by the discovery of melamine-tainted eggs in Hong Kong this past weekend, is the latest in a growing scandal in China that has so far included dairy, chocolate and pet food.

Only a modest amount of Canada's meat products - just under $200,000 worth, according to Statistics Canada - came from China in 2007. But last year, Canada imported nearly $15-million worth of protein substances and other ingredients primarily used to make animal feed from China.

The worry over potential melamine contamination prompted the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to create new rules earlier this month requiring importers to prove feed ingredients are melamine-free.

However, many in Canada's meat and animal-feed industry say they have been taking extra measures to guard against melamine since last year's pet-food scandal.

"There are no concerns for Canadians at this time," said Julie Latremouille, manager of regulatory affairs at the Animal Nutrition Association of Canada, which represents feed producers.

But not everyone agrees. The very fact that melamine has been found in animal feed and a host of other products coming from China should be setting off alarm bells in consumers' minds, according to Mark Kastel, co-director of The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based advocacy group.

"There's no guarantee that just because we haven't seen [melamine in many food products] that we won't," he said. Concerns over melamine contamination has been heating up over the past few months since reports that several Chinese infants died and thousands had to be hospitalized after drinking formula that contained the chemical. It is alleged that dairy suppliers were adding melamine to some products to make them appear more protein-rich in quality-control tests.

In Canada, several recalls of chocolate and other dairy products have been initiated in recent weeks over fears they may be contaminated with melamine. Canadians shouldn't stop worrying about whether the chemical is lurking in other food products, Mr. Kastel said. "We're waiting for the next shoe to drop. I think that's a reasonable assumption," he said. "If we don't feel comfortable feeding our pets Chinese-sourced material, why would we feel comfortable with our children eating this crap?"

Melamine is an acute problem in China, where babies have been exposed to high concentrations of the chemical in infant formula. In North America, consumers who are exposed to small amounts of the substance over long periods of time may ultimately face increased risks of developing certain diseases, he said. "We know that [with] contamination with heavy metals or toxic chemicals, deleterious effects are not limited to instant acute symptoms or death," Mr. Kastel said.

Health Canada says that while "very low levels of melamine could be found in food due to its industrial uses ... the levels of melamine from these sources would not represent a human health risk."

But Mr. Kastel dismissed that assurance, citing the fact that no major studies have been done to determine whether melamine has an accumulative effect on human health.