Based on the results of this year’s Product of the Year competition, Canadians are looking for healthier, higher-quality and more convenient food and beverage options. Canada’s Product of the Year awards surveyed more than 5900 Canadians from across the country for their opinions on consumer products launched in the past 18 months. Products, both retail and those available online, were evaluated on innovative design, function or packaging in 17 categories. This year’s food and beverage winners were: Asana Yogurt, Black Diamond Funcheez Marbelicious, Campbell’s Créations Soups, Fontaine Santé Humm! Hummus Cocktail, Molson Canadian 67, Maple Leaf Natural Selections Deli Meats, Riceworks Gourmet Brown Rice Crisps, High Liner Signature Southern Style Cod, and the Singleton of Glendullan Scotch. Winners are entitled to use Product of the Year branding and logo on packaging, advertising and point-of-sale materials. “Recognizing a seal of approval that has the endorsement of thousands of other Canadians is a shortcut that helps shoppers move on to more important decisions,” notes Sandie Orlando, executive program director for Product of the Year. “Consumers told us they want products that make it easier to live better without compromising on quality.”

Metametrix Clinical Laboratory has announced the availability of two new toxicity profiles to help determine exposure to harmful chemicals: Bisphenol A (BPA) and Organophosphates. BPA is widely used in the production of clear, shatter-proof plastics and is also present in liners of canned foods and beverages. The BPA Profile also measures triclosan, an anti-microbial agent used in personal products such as hand soap and toothpaste, as well as 4-nonylphenol, a surfactant with industrial uses. These chemicals are shown to be endocrine disruptors and possible contributors to disorders such as obesity, neurological development delays in infants, thyroid disruption, developmental issues of sexual organs in infants, and sexual dysfunction in adults. Organophosphate pesticides are nerve agents used in agricultural crops, orchards, residential lawns, and food storage centers that can be hazardous to the neurological development of children and fetuses. Other health effects include chronic fatigue, asthma, immune system disorders, impaired memory, disorientation, depression, irritability, and may increase risk of cancer. These new additions to the Toxic Effects product line give practitioners additional resources to determine if toxicity is an underlying cause of disease in their patients.

Nordic Naturals has received three 2011 Vity Awards for products and promotions from Vitamin Retailer Magazine, honoring the natural supplement industry’s best-selling products based on a nationwide survey of health food stores. The three awards included: Best EFA Supplement – Omega 3 (Specialty and Herbal Supplement Category); Tie for Best Children’s Health Supplement – NordicTM Berries (Specialty and Herbal Supplement Category); and Best Sales and Specials – Line Drives (Supplier Merchandising Support Category).

On June 22, 2011, the Ontario government announced their comprehensive Mental Health and Addictions Strategy, titled Open Minds, Healthy Minds. Starting this year, the government will invest a total $257 million dollars over three years in the province’s mental health system to help children and youth access support services. The program will focus on early intervention and support to protect our children from the many associated costs of mental illness and addictions and help steer them on the road to safe, healthy, and happy futures. The Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-term Care says their goals are to: provide children, youth and families with fast access to high quality services; identify and intervene in child and youth mental health and addictions issues early; and close critical service gaps for vulnerable children and youth, children and youth at key transition points, and those in remote communities. The goal is to give more children, youth, adults and their families the services they need, more quickly, and more effectively to prevent and reduce the personal, social and economic costs of mental health and addictions problems

Trust in claims made by manufacturers of vitamins, herbal supplements, and nonprescription drugs have dropped between 2005 and 2010, according to a recent Ipsos Reid study commissioned by Health Canada. Compared to a baseline survey performed in 2005, the new information shows a 10% drop in the confidence of consumers that natural products are safe and a 3% increase in the number of consumers who say that these products’ health claims are unproven. “There is a significant proportion of Canadians who seriously question the safety and quality of natural health products,” according to the report. “The strongest benefits associated with natural health products continue to be that [they] can be used to maintain and promote health and that they can be used to treat illness. However, these positive perceptions of natural health products have declined significantly,” the survey revealed. Overall, findings indicate that 42% of Canadians are questioning the quality of natural products. Supporters of natural products are also declining with 71% of consumers agreeing that natural products can be used to maintain and promote health compared to 77% in 2005. Similar declines were reported in the numbers of consumers who believed that natural products can be used to treat illness.

A United States federal advisory panel is recommending that pregnant women get vaccinated against whooping cough. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to recommend the shot for pregnant women who previously were not vaccinated. The vaccine, which does not use live bacteria, would be given in the third trimester or late second trimester. Children get whooping cough vaccine in a series of shots beginning at two months. Most infant deaths and hospitalizations now occur in the first two months of life and some research has found that vaccinating a pregnant woman will allow her to pass some immunity to her child.

The Environmental Pollutants Profile assesses phthalate, paraben, and volatile organic compound exposure through measurement of their urine metabolites. This is the first pollutants profile offered in Canada, and uses US BioTek’s proprietary technology. The first morning mid-stream urine is collected in a cup and the strip ‘dipped’. The urine strip is then placed in a desiccant bag, which keeps the analytes stable until analysis. The environmental pollutants profile was launched in conjunction with the CAND conference on Environmental Medicine, held in Calgary in June 2011.