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.
