By Tony Clement, Federal Minister of Health
There has been some misunderstanding regarding the approach of government toward natural health products and our proposed legislation, Bill C-51. It is unfortunate that a few individuals are spreading fear and misinformation to natural health product consumers.
As Minister of Health, I believe it is to the benefit of all Canadians to have access to healthy and safe natural health products. These make up the majority of these products on store shelves.
Bill C-51 does not target natural health products; it also covers products including drugs, medical devices, cells and tissues and organs, vaccines and veterinary drugs. The Bill provides crucial updates to the Food and Drug Act, which had not been updated in about 50 years. It also does not include any changes to the Natural Health Products Regulations, which have been in force since January 1, 2004. Moreover, the intention of the Bill and Regulations is to facilitate access to safe and effective natural health products, for all Canadians who desire them.
The legislation aims ensure that tainted products are found and recalled, that what is on the label is actually in the bottle, and that health claims are supported by evidence. My department often issues warnings about mislabelled products or products that have serious adverse reactions. For example, diethylene glycol was found in fluoridated toothpaste, and incorrect ingredients that could cause liver damage were found in Black Cohosh products. We have also seen cases where a natural health product makes a completely unfounded health claim- the ability to cure cancer or SARS, for example. In addition, the increasing import of products and ingredients from foreign countries will require oversight to assure product safety and quality for Canadians.
Those who allege that this legislation will reduce access to common vitamins and herbal products are simply spreading misinformation. They are wrong.
The Bill is still before the House of Commons and we look forward to hearing more from industry partners.
In the future, under a modernized Food and Drugs Act, the numbers and variety of natural health products will continue to grow, the natural health product industry will be enhanced, and Canadians can be confident that they will be able to access innovative, safe and effective products.
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The hazy scope of Bill C-51, rewriting a 50-year-old Food and Drug Act, is suspect. Suspect because its cause was the lobbying of the pharmaceutical industry; they will benefit through the harsh terms enacted when caught exporting drugs to our American neighbours. Through all the harm that this industry has caused society, the policy to protect us will go against everything the corporate entity stands for: profit.
The purpose of the Act is to end the import and production of goods “injurious to human health.” The ambiguity occurs through defining what items are covered under each of the products; these being food, therapeutic products, and cosmetics. As Randall Fitzgerald writes in ‘The Hundred-Year Lie’ (2006; Dutton), there are: 75,500 synthetic chemicals in consumer products, agriculture and industry; 8,000 in both cosmetic and food additives; and 25,000 total in cosmetics (of which less than four percent have been tested for safety in humans).
Our bodies are not built to metabolize these chemicals into our systems. Over the hundred years that we have been human guinea pigs, our children’s hormones have become as hyperactive as they are. As well, adult diseases like diabetes and cancer are filtering into their age groups. Nerve damage, heart failure, liver disease, obesity and other system failures are occurring at an alarming rate. Our food production is unsustainable and destructive through the use of fertilizers and pesticides. Our oil and mining industries are as equally responsible as the production industry at being ‘injurious to human health’ through their synthetic byproducts.
The vitamin and supplement industry is not exempt from this ‘better life through chemistry.’ Under the labelling of ‘natural’ vitamins were ingredients including coal tar, preservatives, artificial colourings, and other harmful additives. Under FDA guidelines, yeast injected with a chemical concoction is considered ‘natural.’ Six pharmaceutical companies that provide raw material for 97% of all marketed synthetic vitamins dominate this vitamin industry. Their ‘vitamin C’ results from a fermentation process involving volatile acids. Their ‘vitamin E’ is a Eastman Kodak byproduct from a process used to manufacture film. The absorption rate for synthetic vitamins is far inferior to natural vitamins and may be causing more synergistic harm than the intended benefit.
While cigarette smoke was an obvious and visible cause to health’s deterioration, these invisible, sometimes secret, ingredients should be treated with the same concern. The shortsighted and biased safety testing of these chemicals and drugs should be labelled as crimes against humanity for the death and disease it has globally dispensed.
Realistically, every drug and food additive on the market requires unbiased retesting meaning the true cost of this bill is expanding exponentially. The concerns for natural health products are valid due to the vague wording, however, only the chemically produced items should be suspect. Rarely does anything come out of parliament that directly benefits the consumer and this appears to be a weapon that we can finally defend ourselves with.
Darrin LR Fiddler, Kelowna