‘…These consultations will assist in finding the path forward to enhance transparency on the presence of chemicals, helping Canadians make informed decisions.’
Main editorial image credit: Hafiz Johari/Shutterstock
Canada’s Government has launched a series of national consultations to understand how it can take action to improve the information about chemicals in consumer products. The products include cosmetics, cleaning products, and flame retardants in upholstered furniture. The Government is set to publish proposed amendments to the Cosmetics Regulations by the summer of 2022, with a requirement for more explicit labelling of fragrance allergens in cosmetics.
The consultations, which run until the summer of this year, will take place through a series of workshops and interactive events and be used to help the Government to ‘develop and publish a broader strategy in 2023 outlining a suite of policy actions to improve the availability of information on chemicals in consumer products throughout the supply chain.’ The actions could include legislation or regulations, as well as voluntary and collaborative initiatives. According to a survey carried out by Health Canada during 2017, 48% of Canadians look to product labels for information on health risks.
The Government added that the consultations will also help to identify ways to address ‘both the growing public demand for readily accessible information on chemicals in consumer products and the need for better ingredient disclosure to enable the informed substitution of toxic chemicals with safer alternatives.’
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Health said; ‘We are taking action to keep Canadians and our environment healthy and safe by improving information and labelling on certain consumer products. These consultations will assist in finding the path forward to enhance transparency on the presence of chemicals, helping Canadians make informed decisions.’
The Government added that the consultations support the country’s Chemicals Management Plan, which aims to assess and reduce environmental and human health risks posed by chemical substances and organisms. To date the Chemicals Management Plan as addressed approximately 4300 priority chemicals and managed the risk of hundreds of new substances entering the Canadian market each year.
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