Regulatory Arena

Ingredients and So Much More By Karen Proper In the early to mid-2000s, “light” and “fat-free” foods took the centre stage for a brief period of time.  Consumers demanded products that were lower in calories and fat – and the industry delivered.  These products did not provide the sensory qualities consumers expected. Consumers were unwilling to sacrifice so-called healthier options …

Welcome back to the Regulatory Arena. We promised you an “issues facing industry” focus this year, and I’m hoping this installment doesn’t disappoint. One of the big issues I see in my practice relates to product classification: is my product a food or a natural health product (“NHP”)? It’s no secret that over the years many “food” manufacturers have taken …

Welcome to the fourth and final edition of the Regulatory Arena devoted to the Clean Label. It has been a lot of fun so far: we have defined the “clean label”, considered its treatment in Canada compared to the United States, and dug into some hot topics in clean labelling. In this Regulatory Arena, we move off of compliance and …

Welcome back to the Regulatory Arena and our third edition on the Clean Label. In our first edition, we introduced and explored the definition of the “clean label” and set the stage for the upcoming discussions. In our last edition, we considered some of the differences in the treatment of the “clean label” in Canada and the U.S. In this …

Welcome back to the Regulatory Arena and the second edition on the Clean Label. In our last installment, we introduced and explored the definition and set the stage for upcoming discussions. In this issue, we consider some of the differences in the treatment of the clean label in Canada and the U.S. As we all know, the food industry is …

Welcome to the first Regulatory Arena of 2015: the Year of the Clean Label! The clean label has been identified as one of the key trends of 2015, and in recognition of the importance of the clean label to Canadian consumers and industry, we will be devoting all four 2015 editions of the Regulatory Arena to the clean label. In …

In recent years, an enormous amount of attention has been paid to food labels. We know that Health Canada is looking at labels as it modernizes our food labeling system. We also know that consumers are looking at labels; all food trend forecasting tells us that consumers are more interested than ever with how food is made and where ingredients …

In the last edition of the Regulatory Arena, we introduced you to Health Canada’s “modernization makeover”. As we noted, in part that endeavor is focused on making over the CFIA’s inspection program. In this edition of the Regulatory Arena, we will cover one of the more recent elements of the inspection modernization makeover: the Integrated Agency Inspection Model (or “iAIM”). …

Hello and welcome to the Regulatory Arena! This regular column will highlight regulatory developments of relevance to the food and beverage industry. And what a year it is going to be for the food industry. Health Canada is in the midst of a “modernization makeover” and as a result, significant change is on the horizon. Health Canada’s current modernization efforts …