The natural health industry is under revision in New Zealand and Canada. On July 19, New Zealand passed the Therapeutic Products Bill, which will take effect in 2026.
Then on June 22, Royal Assent was given to Bill C-47, which introduced amendments to the Food and Drugs Act (FDA) concerning Natural Health Products (NHPs). It will take effect in 2025.
The New Zealand government described their bill in a media release as “replacing and modernising the regulatory arrangements for medicines” and for providing “fit-for-purpose regulation of medical devices and cell, gene, and tissue therapies which, until now, have not been fully regulated.”
In Canada, the intent of the new regulations is to produce clear labelling to ensure an easier understanding of safety information for consumers and health professionals.
“These changes would not only reduce the competitiveness of Canadian natural health product producers but also force consumers to seek alternative shopping options, most likely across the border, to acquire products that were once easily accessible and widely available,” he added.
Robert Rogers, an Edmonton-based herbalist, teacher, author of 62 books, and former chair of the Capital Health Community Health Council, said how difficult it will be for smaller companies to survive under the new rules.
Traditional Medicine Tied Up in Modern Red Tape
In New Zealand, the situation is similar. Smaller companies will have additional financial burdens placed on them, and if they pass on the costs, it will cut out a lot of market share and hence profit. Loss of market share and profit means many of these companies could close down.Further difficulties from this bill could arise in regards to importing quality NHPs from overseas and also to bring New Zealand NHPs and ingredients to market.
However, this exemption scheme also has the potential to be tied up in red tape.
Rongoā practices will be governed by an advisory committee established to provide advice to the Regulator to help determine whether a person meets the definition of a rongoā practitioner or is engaging in an activity within the scope of the provision.
Well Known Health Properties
Dr. Guy Hatchard wrote in the Expose that the New Zealand bill is “an underhand move,” which does not specify much of the content.Besides lacking in detail, it places a lot of discretionary power in the hands of a new regulator who will regulate all natural health products (NHPs), including low-risk foods such as turmeric, barley grass, and spirulina.
After 4,000 years of use, one would think it was safe to use as a supplement.
Approving herbs that have been used for thousands of years by a regulator who does not need to have appropriate expertise (natural health professionals, naturopaths, and medical herbalists) when deciding whether products are safe for NZ consumers seems to be, at best, farcical.
Dr. Hatchard writes that “under the Bill, there is nothing to stop the new regulator from simply adopting this (former) list as soon as appointed.”
ICMRA was created at the 65th World Health Assembly conference in 2012 “to address current and emerging human medicine regulatory and safety challenges globally, strategically and in an ongoing, transparent, authoritative and institutional manner.”
Thus this situation of prohibiting and controlling natural products may, in the future, be applied to a large portion of the world.