In the largest review of its kind, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has found that 71 percent of nutritional supplements and meal replacements that were tested broke federal regulations. The violations included improper labeling, non-permitted ingredients and non-compliance with guidelines governing the composition of the products.
Over a period of six weeks, 165 products were tested from supermarkets, department stores and health food stores in 31 cities across the country. Food inspectors found that 117 of the 165 products violated Canadian regulations.
This review by the CFIA is part of an ongoing effort to monitor the sports nutrition industry by targeting claims made on bars, shakes and powders that it suspects are likely to breach federal regulations.
While the CFIA did not name specific products in its report, it did outline specific concerns such as the addition of non-permitted ingredients to products like the amino acid, taurine. This report supports previous study findings that suggest many of these products have never been scientifically proven to have the effects that the manufacturer claims.
It is believed that the current market for supplements and weight loss products in Canada generates about $1-billion annually in sales.
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