In their Health Product InfoWatch for March, Health Canada provided an updated review of melatonin and its potential for adverse reactions in children and teenagers. In the article Health Canada states, “Recent international reports of neurological adverse reactions (e.g., anxiety, panic reactions, visual hallucinations and seizures) suspected of being associated with the use of melatonin in children and adolescents have been brought to Health Canada’s attention by foreign regulators.”

Over 500 products containing melatonin have already been issued an NPN for sale to adults and children in Canada. Before any retailers or consumers panic, the review also states, “Based on current evidence, a relationship between the pediatric use of melatonin and the occurrence of neurological adverse reactions such as seizures could not be established.”

Health Canada’s own safety review conducted in December 2015 decided there was limited or conflicting data available leading them to issue only a warning “encouraging parents and caregivers to consult a healthcare professional before giving any natural health products containing melatonin to this age group [under age 18], especially if they have serious medical conditions like hormonal, brain, heart, liver, or kidney diseases.”

Health Canada reports they will continue to monitor melatonin for safety information related to its use in the general pediatric population.

In a recent interview with Adweek Magazine, Norman de Greve, senior vice president and CMO of CVS Health, noted the company’s wide ban on tobacco sales in 2014 was just part of their decade-long plan to shift from being the proverbial “drugstore on the corner” to a “multifaceted healthcare company.”

Their acquisition of several other health businesses in as many years has led to their being not just the 2^nd largest pharmaceutical retailer behind Walgreens, but the 12^th largest company in the world, according to Fortune 500. Through over 1000 MinuteClinics and Diabetes Care Centers, usually located within a CVS Store, the company provides primary health care in addition to the sale of prescription medications and drug store merchandise through their CVS Pharmacy and other drug retail brands in store and online.

One of their latest initiatives has been the recent launch of their “Be the First” campaign, a five-year, $50 million effort to derail tobacco addiction and encourage the next generation to be tobacco-free. They expect to achieve their goal by “working with the nation’s leading anti-tobacco and youth organizations to support comprehensive education, advocacy, tobacco control and healthy behaviour programming to help those who smoke quit and ensure those who don’t never start,” according to their web site.

The Body Shop, British retail giant of natural health, skin care and beauty products celebrated their 40^th anniversary with a bold pledge to help sustain Mother Earth. As one of the leading companies that consistently use social and environmental campaigns to promote their business one shouldn’t be surprised by the “ethical beauty” retailer’s announcement.

Chairman and CEO Jeremy Schwartz explains, “The Body Shop’s 40th anniversary is the perfect time to reassert our aim for leadership in ethical business; for us, being truly sustainable means shaping our business to work in line with the planet’s natural systems so they can replenish and restore themselves.”

Working in tandem with the Future Fit Foundation, the company has established an impressive list of objectives it hopes to achieve by 2020. Chris Davis, The Body Shop’s International CSR and Campaigns Director, says, “We have set ourselves ambitious, inspiring and measurable targets for our commitment. We are developing new practices to enrich the planet in which we operate whilst helping our company grow and prosper. Our new commitment combines all the experience and knowledge of our expert people with new advances in science and technology.”

The list includes enhancements to their existing Community Trade program, ensuring all products are 100 per cent sustainably sourced, continued reduction of “their environmental footprint” on the planet, and powering all of their stores with renewable energy.

Unless you live on a deserted island in the middle of the Pacific, you would have heard that coconut oil has reigned as the resident cure-all for about two years now. We must be due for the new wonder non-drug soon. Enter hemp oil.

There is hemp seed oil and there is hemp oil. Before you confuse either one with that stuff the hippies did in college, let’s clarify. Hemp oil has traditionally been known as the oil obtained from marijuana’s less intoxicating cousin, industrial hemp. It is made by shelling hemp seeds and then cold pressing them and extracting the oil—similar to how olive oil is made—which is bottled and sold in your store. It is also called, and some now say should only be called, hemp seed oil. Why?

Unlike regular hemp oil, which is derived from seeds, CBD oil comes from the flowers, leaves and stalks of hemp. Proponents of CBD oil, which is currently undergoing numerous research studies for its medicinal properties, praise it for the reported benefits commonly attributed to the cannabinol (medical constituent of marijuana) it contains. Cannabinol (CBN) and CBD are growing as prescribed treatments for glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, epileptic/cerebral disorders, nausea, and digestive upsets, pain and inflammation. It is also being investigated for supposed anti-cancer activity.

Most importantly, CBD oil does not contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the hallucinogenic component of hemp/marijuana. CBD, also known as cannabidiol, is just one of 60 compounds found in cannabis, with it and THC being in the highest concentrations and most studied. Currently, licensed medical marijuana growers and researchers are focusing more on plants that bear more CBD and almost zero THC, the hallucinogenic.

There may be a great difference in the way distribution of GMO foods will be handled in Canada than in the United States. The Retail Council of Canada, the self-proclaimed “voice of retail” which is an advocacy association for the country’s primary grocery retailers Loblaw, Sobeys, Metro, among others, recently proclaimed to the media, “We have confidence in the regulatory process and CFIA (the Canadian Food Inspection Agency) to ensure that (genetically engineered foods) are safe for consumption and only products that are safe for consumption are approved.”

On the subject of GMO labelling, a spokesman for the Council, David Wilkes, Senior Vice President, Government Relations and Grocery Division states, “There is no requirement for labelling at this point in time, so the government does not indicate that (genetically engineered foods) would be labelled.”

Compare this with recent reports from the U.S. that due to changing GMO labelling laws in the state of Vermont, several large manufacturers will change the labelling for the entire country, not just one state. Companies such as Campbell Soup Co., General Mills Inc., Kellogg Co., and Mars Inc., say their labelling changes will take place nationally.

Whatever their reasons, these large corporations show good ethics for going above and beyond the law by listing GMO ingredients on their products. If that’s what it takes to get companies to comply with informing the buying public when and if they will be consuming genetically engineered foods, then perhaps it’s time to voice concerns more loudly to government to change food labelling laws.

Every city, metropolitan area and small town now has natural food stores yet the similarities may not move beyond this point. Just as every city has its charm, every store may have a distinctly different “feel” or appeal to the public.

Health food consumers in Vancouver may be very surprised by the mix of independent health retailers when visiting Toronto. Halifax residents may be thrilled by the variety of health foods and products they can buy when touring Calgary. It’s normal for us to expect to find our favourite brands and foods across the country, but diversity and our multicultural society is what makes Canada a unique marketplace for natural foods.

If you’re lucky enough to travel across Canada and visit each locale’s independent natural food stores, you may find similarities within the stores in the area, and why not? They are all serving the same local customers primarily whose tastes are very particular for that market.

Treasures, along with price differences, are sure to be found. A Kombucha Mocha Chai Latte may be ten dollars a cup in one place, seven dollars in the next province and non-existent in the eastern part of the country.

Canada has a huge diversity of natural food and supplement stores with smells, sounds, tastes and flavours of all kinds. When taking a vacation in any part of your country, be sure to drop by the local independent health retailers. You’re very likely to find a merchandising idea to borrow from a peer or discover a tasty and hot-selling new product that you know your clientele would love.

A recent rash of shootings in Canadian and U.S. retail stores, and stabbings and other violence in Toronto shopping malls have forced some retailers to think about increased security in their stores. Violence in the workplace is something none of us want to deal with but are you and your staff prepared? Do you have a response plan in place?

Media reports of violence committed during robberies on store owners and staff can be frightening. What would you do if one of your employees physically assaulted a customer—or the reverse?

Most states and provinces will legislate workplace violence through their Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, so if you haven’t already, contact your local office to ensure you’re complying with the law and train your staff.

Providing written company policies and procedures to govern professional behaviour between staff and which outline consequences for misbehaviour should ensure your employees are respectful of one another. It goes without saying that your own behaviour should only be professional and respectful as well so that you lead by example. Professional courtesy and behaviour towards all would help avoid unpleasant emotional outbursts which may lead some people to violence against their peers.

If you know your store has high-stress hours, days or seasons, then consider that your staff may need more of a helping hand at those times. One lone employee would be hard-pressed to prevent shoplifting while ringing in purchases.

If you haven’t already, consider installing high-definition security cameras and advertise you have them to prevent your store from being targeted for robbery or shoplifting.

If your store is located in a large metro city or area more prone to lawbreakers, there are security firms available that can teach you and your staff a survivalist mindset. They could also help you create a loss and injury prevention plan that could protect you, customers and employees if an incident occurred.

Every retail store has unique challenges to ensure employee and customer safety as well as loss prevention. Do you have practical solutions in place to help ensure your staff is more prepared for a crisis?

Retailers in British Columbia may be impacted by proposed amendments to the Occupational Health and Safety Regulation being pursued by WorkSafeBC in regard to “storage racks.”

The proposed amendments would force warehouses and retailers to ensure worker safety through the inclusion of new requirements covering the design, construction, installation, maintenance and modifications of steel shelving. The amendments detail that regular inspections should also occur and that “the employer must ensure that a qualified person, in accordance with the instructions of the manufacturer or a professional engineer, regularly inspects the storage rack for wear, corrosion, damage, missing or incompatible parts, or signs of fatigue at intervals that will prevent the development of unsafe working conditions.”

The amendments are designed to ensure employee safety yet some retailers may find these new regulations extraneous and costly. The Retail Council of Canada is responding to the proposal on behalf of retailers as it identifies a few key areas that are unclear, such as who is qualified for these inspections and how much this affects existing fixtures already supplied to retailers.