For at least the past year, behind the scenes, Health Canada's NHPD (Natural Health Products Directorate) and Foods Directorate had been debating under whose jurisdiction products containing natural health based ingredients, and presumably intending to make NHP-type claims would lie. This situation was made all the more acute with the early acceptance of Red Bull in the very early days of Canada's NHP regulations as a claim-supported NHP, and the intention of numerous healthy beverage companies to enter the market in the same way.

Although the process was never streamlined, at some point last year, the food-format applications got officially stopped and pulled from the queue. At this point in time, a task force was convened and apparently has now ruled - the ball has been 'punted' to the 'ever-so-efficient and collaborative' Foods Directorate so that NHPs in food formats will be reviewed by the Food Directorate, in collaboration with the Natural Health Products Directorate, applying the Natural Health Products Regulations. In addition, communications regarding the issuance or refusal of a product licence for a product in a food format and requests for additional information will come from the Food Directorate. (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/prodnatur/bulletins/food_nhp_aliments_psn-2007_e.html)

Judging from past and current experience, one can certainly not expect expediency in process and any quick support for any such products when the process is directed by Canada's ultra-conservative Foods Directorate. While the ongoing involvement of NHPD in the assessment should be reassuring, if NHPD cannot even make quick non-compendial assesments for NHP format products, what makes anyone think the process will be anything short of excruciating, deliberate, time (and cost) consuming and horrendously painful to market innovation if both Directorates are involved and expected to provide material input?

Market advantage 'Red Bull'.

This one was not a punt, rather a fumble.