Health Canada is revamping the country’s healthy eating guidelines with new rules for marketing and labelling children’s foods.

Health Minister Jane Philpott says that the “iconic” current Canada Food Guide does not match the country’s changing demographics and lifestyles. Philpott notes that the guide must be “relevant and practical,” individualized, and adaptable for food preferences and sensitivities.

However, it will take anywhere from 5 to 10 years to implement these changes, after consultations with industry, stakeholders and the public.​

Consultations will wrap up December 8, 2016. Philpott says the Healthy Canada strategy has three pillars, including healthy eating, the promotion of physical activity, as well as mental health initiatives.

With these new guidelines, natural, organic, and nutritious children’s foods will be better able to dominate the market due to increased consumer awareness. As these regulations come to fruition, consider stocking your shelves with goods that are sure to meet—and exceed—changing consumer expectations.

While online grocery sales have spiked in Europe, Canadian retailers are struggling to engage consumers with the new service.

According to Forrester Research, Canada’s online grocery shopping market is expected to grow to sales of $3.6 billion per year by 2019. However, Suthamie Poologasingham, a consultant from J.C. Williams group noted at Toronto’s Grocery Innovations Canada conference that the market is currently at less than $2 billion.

“Canadian retailers are still very much in a stage of testing and trying to figure out the cost infrastructure,” she said, adding that retailers must get consumers comfortable with the new service.

With giants like Loblaws, Walmart and Grocery Gateway offering these services, independent retailers may feel pressured to release similar programs. However, Canadian shoppers that buy their groceries online spend just four per cent of their food budgets their, buying everything else in store, added Poologasingham.

She noted that this is because in Canada, some prejudices about online shopping remain. Canadians are unsure about product quality when it comes to online orders, and may also find shipping costs too high.

Before rolling out one of these expensive services, perhaps poll your customers to determine interest. Online grocery may or may not be worth your time, money and efforts.

Last Thursday, Amazon Canada officially opened its new warehouse and distribution centre in Brampton, Ontario. To celebrate the new facility, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stopped by for a tour.

Trudeau notes that the brand-new, high-tech facility will create more than 700 full-time jobs. The centre, which currently employs 350 people, will use cutting-edge robotic technology with traditional worker support to offer quick, high-quality support, he says.
This new initiative by Amazon is evidence to Trudeau that large multinational companies see Canada as a good place do business.

The grand opening follows Amazon’s announcement that Prime customers in Toronto and Vancouver are eligible for same-day deliveries as part of their premium plan. The offer is good for eligible orders over $25. Amazon says that eligible purchases placed in the morning through Amazon.ca would be delivered by 9 p.m. the same day in areas with Vancouver and Toronto postal codes.

However, while the new facility does indicate willingness for big box corporations to invest on Canadian soil, it has different implications for national and local retailers. With this new premium service available, small Canadian retailers may find themselves struggling to hold onto consumers.

To help keep your services from falling to the wayside, perhaps consider the implementation of various offers and deals for customers coming into your store. Treat your current clients well and use promotions to attract prospective buyers, and you’ll come out on top.

With a vast variety of social media networks available to your business, picking and choosing the right ones for your demographic can be tricky. Today, the art of social media marketing is delicate, and you must strategize in order to optimize your results.

Think about it: if you were looking to attract Millennials with your products, you wouldn’t create a television or radio commercial aimed at Baby Boomers, right? The same goes for Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Depending on the audience you are looking to target, you need to streamline your use of various social media channels.

If you’re looking to get your product seen by Baby Boomers, place your time and energy into the social media sites they frequent most often, like Facebook. However, if you’re going after a younger audience, maybe try Millennial-friendly apps and sites like Snapchat, Instagram, Periscope, and Twitter.

This being said, your demographic isn’t the only factor you should take into account: the product you’re advertising should also influence which channels you put the most effort into. With advertising natural health or grocery products, a highly visual medium, like Instagram, can show off your product in an effective way. However, if you’re looking to add more text-based content and hyperlinks to your post, Facebook or Twitter may be the way to go.

Every social media audience is different, and must be catered to as such. Strategize your Internet efforts, and you will be rewarded with a loyal, active following of potential customers.

According to a new survey from the Organic Trade Association (OTA), more than half of organic shoppers are millennials with children.

The study notes that parents 18 to 34 years old represent the largest group of organic consumers in US. Moreover, among American mothers and fathers, 52 per cent of organic consumers are millennials, compared with 35 per cent of Generation X parents and 14 per cent of Baby Boomer parents.

“The market is diversifying,” says Laura Batcha, executive director and CEO of OTA. “The younger folks are adopting it quickly, but for many of these millennials, I like to think of them as second generation. Many of them were raised on organic products. It’s not a new idea they’re embracing; it’s just something that’s incorporated into their way of thinking.”

Batcha adds that millennial consumers are more likely to view the organic label as trustworthy and relevant.

“Many of these folks [are] second-generation organic and [have] a well-rounded, sophisticated understanding about what it means,” she notes.

This makes these consumers a perfect target for organic retailers. As such, ensure that your shelves are well stocked and branded to appeal to this discerning group of buyers.

“One thing we do know is shoppers of organic have some habits that make them very attractive to retailers,” she said. “Those shoppers are coveted amongst retailers because they typically shop more often, more trips in a week and have higher basket sizes than non-organic buyers.”

Hyland’s baby teething products were recently pulled from the market in the US over what the FDA deemed “potential health risks.” However, the products—which the company insists are safe—are still available to Canadian consumers.

Last month, the FDA warned against the general use of homeopathic teething gels and tablets, saying the products could pose a risk to infants and children.

The organization also noted that teething could be managed without over-the-counter products.

The FDA warning was released after a child was reported to have had a seizure due to use of these products. The FDA then launched an investigation, which found more than 400 reports of adverse events—such as fever, seizures and even death— associated with homeopathic teething products over the past six years.

Despite this, “Hyland’s baby teething medicines remain in distribution in Canada,” company spokeswoman Mary Borneman told the Globe and Mail. “We have chosen to discontinue the product line in the U.S. because of the FDA’s general warning against the use of these medicines. We are confident the product is safe so we can continue to distribute in areas that do not have a similar warning.”

On October 11, Hyland’s wrote to its US consumers, explaining that due to “confusion among parents” created by the warning, it would no longer be distributed across the nation.

Health Canada notes that it is aware of the FDA warning, and suggests that parents with concerns about these products should speak with a health-care professional. If your customers are concerned about this issue, help to sort out their confusion. Discuss with them the true benefits and pitfalls of homeopathic teething products and help them to understand why the FDA is making these claims.

In an attempt to resolve tensions between the growing bottled water industry, an exploding population and escalating climate change issues, Ontario’s government has proposed a moratorium on bottled water.

Specifically, the government wants to ban the creation or expansion of bottled water operations fed by Ontarian groundwater for two years.

“Water bottling is a different kind of industry and we need to treat it differently,” says Kathleen Wynne, Ontario’s premier. “Thirty years ago, we wouldn’t have envisioned an industry that took water and put it in plastic bottles so that people could carry it around.”

The organization adds that the proposed moratorium would allow them to gain a better grasp on the current state of groundwater supplies in Ontario.

“With a changing climate, and specifically with the impacts from drought and increasing population growth, we want to work with the people of Ontario to make sure we are properly protecting this vital resource,” says Glen Murray, Ontario’s minister of the environment and climate change.

Moreover, the regulations would impose stricter controls on existing bottled water operations. This would include shortening the duration of permits from ten years to five years, as well as imposing mandatory reductions during times of drought.

The suggested changes are open to public comment for the next 45 days. Additionally, they will be paired with an evaluation of the prices currently being charged to bottled water companies.

Mintel analysts note that the sales of dog and cat treats are growing at a faster rate than pet food.

“We are definitely seeing interest in pet treats that have natural, organic or unique flavors that align more with human food as pet owners are willing to spend on the best for their pet companions,” says John Owen, Mintel’s senior food and drink analyst.

According to the report, cat treats in particular have a lot of growth potential. This is because cat treat dispensers, which combine treats with play, encourage more cat owners to offer treats to their cats on a regular basis.

To benefit from this trend, the Mintel analysts suggest that retailers position their products near checkout aisles to promote impulse purchases. Additionally, they recommend playing up the training benefits of certain treats.

“Treats used to reinforce good behavior can make pet owners feel good about spoiling their pets in ways that support training efforts,” says the report.

If you’ve never stocked pet products before, consider doing so now. With interest on the rise, your sales—and your clients—are sure to benefit from your new selection.

Xylitol Canada Inc. has entered into a shares for debt agreement with Andrew and Julie Reid. As per the agreement, Mr. and Mrs. Reid will receive an aggregate of 10,361,226 common shares of the company at a deemed issuance price of $0.075 per share to retire debt in the aggregate principal amount of $777,092.

The shares are to be issued over two closings. The first will include the issuance of 5,180,613 debt shares in respect of debt in the principal amount of $388,546. At this time, Mr. and Mrs. Reid will transfer 3,500,000 common shares of Xylitol to an arm’s length third party for value. The second closing will be comprised of 5,180,613 debt shares in respect of debt in the principal amount of $388,546. Concurrent with this, Mr. and Mrs. Reid will transfer 1,500,000 common shares of Xylitol to an arm’s length third party for value, provided that immediately following the second closing, Mr. and Mrs. Reid will hold an aggregate number of shares that is less than 20 per cent of all issued and outstanding common shares of Xylitol.

Should the second closing not occur on or before November 15, 2016, the Company will call a shareholder’s meeting to approve the issuance of 5,180,613 common shares to Andrew and Julie Reid and the creation of a new “Control Person” as is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV).

About Xylitol Canada Inc.

Xylitol Canada markets xylitol and xylitol based-products and is focused on becoming a major low-cost manufacturer of xylitol and related products, serving the global market from operations in North America. Xylitol Canada’s business strategy is to leverage novel proprietary technology and processes to become North America’s premier manufacturer of low cost, high quality xylitol from readily available environmentally-sustainable biomass. Xylitol is a natural sweetener which is marketed globally including Canada and the United States and is accepted by the American Food and Drug Administration, the World Health Organization and the American Dental Association. Xylitol contains 75 per cent less carbohydrates and 40 per cent less calories than sugar, has a myriad of oral health benefits including the prevention of tooth decay and is safe for diabetics. To date, wider spread use of xylitol has been limited by the lack of a reliable, low cost, high quality supplier.

With Health Canada still vying to regulate Natural Health Products (NHPs) in the same manner as drugs, it is important for all members of the industry to voice their concerns about this issue.

“This is a scary time for the industry,” says Patrick Toledano, president of Herbasante. “Health Canada is looking to scrap what we previously worked hard to build. From a financial standpoint, this represents 10 years of our paying to adhere to the current standards possibly going down the drain.”

For Toledano and other members of the industry, this makes it extremely important to raise awareness about—and work against—these regulations.

“Currently, we are working to get the word out to our clients and consumers about this issue,” adds Toledano. “They are signing petitions and voicing their concerns about this potentially very serious change.”

To learn more about how to combat these regulations, visit the CHFA’s website here.