Shipping nutritional supplements to Canada? Check the list of prohibited ingredients
If you ship nutritional supplements or natural health products to Canada, please note that some of the ingredients in these products may be regulated or even prohibited from entry into Canada, even though they are permitted in the US. That's because Health Canada considers some of these ingredients to be drugs.
Knowing beforehand which ingredients Health Canada does not permit to be imported into Canada will prevent your shipments of nutritional supplements or natural health products from being stopped by the Canada Border Services Agency. For instance, shipments of nutritional supplements or natural health products containing ingredients such as Gotu Kola extract and Yohimbine are not permitted into Canada.
Check this list of prohibited ingredients
For your convenience, here is a list from Health Canada naming many of the ingredients that most often cause shipments of nutritional supplements or natural health products to be stopped at customs.
At present, this list is not readily available in its entirety anywhere else. You may wish to print it and keep it handy for future reference.
The Health Canada number to call
Call Health Canada at 1.604.666.3350 to confirm whether your nutritional supplement or natural health product will be allowed into Canada.
Accurate descriptions are important
Remember to always provide specific, accurate and consistent descriptions of your products with all your customs and shipping paperwork. This will help reduce the possibility of your nutritional supplements and natural health products being held up at customs while customs officers try to determine if the products can enter Canada.