Health Canada proposes to address the issue by updating the Cosmetic Regulations to disclose certain fragrance allergens on cosmetic labels. Under the proposed regulations, manufacturers will have the option to disclose ingredients on a website for cosmetics sold in small packaging. Health Canada acknowledges that this change will increase costs for industry but is seeking to balance those costs with increased informational transparency for those with sensitivities and allergies.

Mexico and Canada have signed a memorandum of understanding in relation to the equivalency of their organic standards this past week. From the Canadian perspective, Mexico is joining the US, UK, EU, Taiwan, Costa Rica, Japan, and Switzerland in becoming equivalent to the Canada Organic Regime.

Any trip that Canadians take to the grocery store reveals that plant-based alternatives to dairy milk have increased in popularity over recent years; what started with soy milk quickly grew into offerings as diverse as chickpea milk or oat milk. And while the public has swiftly adapted to plant-based products, the legal world continues to experience growing pains with the transition; complex, regulatory requirements for dairy labelling, as well as standards of identity, create challenges for anybody seeking to market milk alternatives.

Each year at G. S. Jameson & Company, we develop a video where we try to capture the most significant developments to food regulation that are happening in Canada. The hope is that our Canadian and international friends can take a lunch break to learn enough to do some issue spotting for their clients, employer, students, or simply to keep their knowledge up to date.