Labeling Mandate in Canada Is Too Lenient

Canadians want more complete information on the labels of personal care and cleaning products. That’s the finding of a focus group study undertaken by the Canadian environmental organization Environmental Defence. The organization announced the finding in a press release. Participants in the study supported clear hazard warnings when products contain substances that can be harmful to health. They also demand that such contents be named on a product’s label.

To this point, Canadian law does not require a listing of ingredients. Nevertheless, the study shows that Canadians want to be informed to be able to avoid contact with carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting substances in household products, says Muhannad Malas, toxics program manager at Environmental Defence. According to Malas, Canadian law is falling behind that of the EU and California.

A study undertaken by the David Suzuki Foundation in 2012 identified about 15,000 different products in more than 10,000 Canadian households. More than half of the products examined had no indication of the contents on the label, as indicated in the closing report of the current focus group study.

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