Bill
C-51 is all over the news and it's pitting tough government
regulations against natural health product sellers who say
their "natural" products don't need the proposed
standards; the Government says it will raise the bar and weed
out the bad guy's.
Bill
C-51 is proposed legislation that promises to give more teeth
to the current Canadian Food and Drug Act which regulates
the manufacturing and selling of foods, supplements, and therapeutic
products. Supplement sellers are opposed to the legislation
because they feel their products are not drugs and therefore
should not require the same scrutiny to guarantee efficacy.
However, many supplements have drug - like health claims attached
to them.
Supplement
sellers believe many of their products, referred to as "natural
health products", may not pass the new tougher standards,
and they'll lose sales as result.
Under
the "Offenses" section of Bill C-51 a person can
be fined up to $5,000,000.00 and put in the slammer for up
to 2 years for contravening the act. That's much more imposing
than the current $5,000.00 maximum fine. There's also more
power for investigators to seize property and look at business
records.
The
natural health product sellers express their concerns by saying
their customers access to health products will be restricted
by this bill. That sounds altruistic, but what about the concern
for their customers access to health products that are actually
proven effective?
The
Bill is part way through second reading and looking like it's
on the way to being passed.
The
Healthy
Canadians web site, a government information site, says,
"The legislation requires vigilance to 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."
Often
tough talk from the government sounds great but is later rendered
a lame duck through red tape and loopholes, so this will be
the usual wait and see.
Health
food stores (I call them "pill shops", because they
often have more pills on their shelves than actual food) are
worried about the legislation, which makes me suspicious.
Worried
about what? A supplement company makes claim X (let's say,
"burns fat while you sleep to lose weight"), after
going through the scrutiny that Bill C-51 may deliver, low
and behold it's discovered the supplement company doesn't
have a shred of scientific evidence to prove its claim. So
Health Canada says, sorry this doesn't cut it, try again when
you have scientific proof of your claim, or, sorry this doesn't
cut it, you're a fraud, pay five million.
How
does that harm the consumer?
There's
a lot of double talk from naysayers about how the Bill is
really just another big brother move, or is backed by big
pharma who doesn't like unregulated and cheaper "natural
health" pills competing with expensively patented medication.
That
position is an overly simplistic diversion to prevent having
a light shining on the flaky "natural health" pill
pushers. Last time I checked I didn't see pills growing on
tree's, so just how "natural" are these obviously
mass manufactured pills supposed to be?
The
bill also covers therapeutic products like those goofy detox
foot baths where the water turns brown, apparently because
"toxins" are drawn out through your feet. That promise
is tough to swallow.
In fact no toxins are drawn out through the feet (impossible),
the water turns brown even when you don't put your feet in
the device because electrodes in the tub react with the water
turning it brown.
Wouldn't
it be nice if consumers were protected from such scams and
misleading claims?
If
Bill C -51 is passed I think I'll celebrate with a real natural
health product. I'll eat a 40 cent organic banana. Or maybe
I'll eat a 10 cent carrot from my local supermarket. Both
of these are dirt cheap, natural, taste great, and are very
nutrient dense, with no phony claims attached, and you get
some food in you - something a pill won't provide.
After
that I'll go for a bike ride where special forces (exercise)
will oxygenate my blood, increase my cognitive power, burn
fat, control blood sugar, reduce risk of cancer, increase
antioxidants in my blood, increase my sexual potency, make
me stronger, give me more energy, suppress my appetite, and
make my heart stronger. - And I won't have to swallow anything..
©
2008 Cris LaBossiere Rhino Fitness
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