An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act (natural health products)
Bill C-224 was a Conservative Private Member's Bill amending the Food and Drugs Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. F-27) to exempt natural health products (NHPs) from the regulatory amendments introduced under the 2023 federal Bill C-47 (Budget Implementation Act 2023, S.C. 2023, c. 26) which subjected NHPs to the same risk-based licensing framework as pharmaceutical drugs under Vanessa's Law. The Canadian Health Food Association and the Natural Health Products Protection Association estimate the Canadian NHP industry at approximately $7.5 billion annually with over 200 million units sold. The bill aimed to restore the pre-2023 Natural Health Products Regulations (SOR/2003-196) framework. Reflects ongoing federal-industry tension over Health Canada NHP regulation.
Status
Quick learn
Treats natural health products (vitamins, supplements, herbal medicines) more like over-the-counter drugs: stricter labelling, manufacturing standards, and mandatory adverse-event reporting. The industry has lobbied against earlier versions.
Issues this bill touches
- Healthcare
Natural health products amendments to the Food and Drugs Act.
Legislative history
- First reading
First reading in the House of Commons.
View source - Second reading
Second reading in the House of Commons.
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Official source
Read full text on Parliament of Canada