Terms and conditions

Copyright/permission to reproduce

Materials on this website were produced and/or compiled by Health Canada for the purpose of providing Canadians with direct access to information about the programs and services offered by the Government of Canada.

The material on this site is covered by the provisions of the Copyright Act, by Canadian laws, policies, regulations and international agreements. Such provisions serve to identify the information source and, in specific instances, to prohibit reproduction of materials without written permission.

Commercial reproduction

Reproduction of multiple copies of materials on this site, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution is prohibited except with written permission from the Government of Canada's copyright administrator, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC). Through the permission granting process, PWGSC helps to ensure that individuals/organizations wishing to reproduce Government of Canada materials for commercial purposes have access to the most accurate, up-to-date versions. To obtain permission to reproduce materials on this site for commercial purposes, complete our online Application for Copyright Clearance on Health Canada Works or contact:

Public Works and Government Services Canada
Publishing and Depository Services
350 Albert Street, 4th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0S5 or
copyright.droitdauteur@pwgsc.gc.ca

Non-commercial reproduction

Information on this site, other than government symbols, has been posted with the intent that it be readily available for personal and public non-commercial use and may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from Healthy Canadians.

We ask only that:

  • Users exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced;
  • Healthy Canadians be identified as the source; and,
  • The reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as having been made, in affiliation with or with the endorsement of Healthy Canadians.

Unless otherwise specified, this authorization is also applicable to all published information regardless of format.

Reproduction of government symbols

The official symbols of the Government of Canada, including the "Canada" wordmark, the Arms of Canada, and the flag symbol may not be reproduced, whether for commercial or non-commercial purposes, without written authorization. Request for authorization from Healthy Canadians may be addressed to:

Federal Identity Program
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
300 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Canada K1A 0R5
information@fip-pcim.gc.ca

Other logos, symbols, and images

Other than the official symbols of the Government of Canada, the banners, photos and images on this site may be used only with prior permission from Healthy Canadians, to promote healthy lifestyles and for non-commercial purposes. Healthy Canadians must be credited when an image is used.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, represented by the Minister of Health (2011).

To obtain permission to use a graphical image, complete our online Application for Copyright Clearance on Health Canada Works.

Third-party materials

Some of the materials and graphical elements found on this website are subject to copyrights held by other organizations. This is particularly true of sites that are jointly operated by Health Canada and an external organization as part of a collaborative arrangement. In such cases, some restrictions on the reproduction of materials or graphical elements may apply and it may be necessary to seek permission from the rights holder prior to reproducing the material.

To obtain information concerning copyright ownership and restrictions on reproduction on this site, please contact Health Canada's copyright coordinator by email at pubsadmin@hc-sc.gc.ca or by sending a detailed fax to 613-957-1395.

Disclaimers

The material provided on Healthy Canadians is intended for educational and informational purposes only. Healthy Canadians is not engaged in rendering medical service or advice and the information provided is not a substitute for a professional medical opinion. If you have a medical problem, please contact a qualified health professional.

Drug and Medical Device Recall - Legal Disclaimer Statement

This section has been designed to provide general information about drugs and medical devices that have been recalled from the Canadian market by manufacturers, importers, distributors among others. The information contained herein is a compilation from different sources and, as such, Health Canada's Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate makes no representations and disclaims all express and implied warranties and conditions of any kind, including, representations, warranties or conditions regarding accuracy, timeliness and completeness.

The material is compiled from different sources and is provided for informational purposes only. As such, Health Canada cannot guarantee the accuracy, timeliness and completeness of this information.

The Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate made and will continue to make efforts to provide accurate and up to date information. Although the content has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, this web site could include technical or other inaccuracies or typographical errors. Changes are periodically added to the information herein; these changes will be incorporated in new editions of the publication. Health Canada's Health Products and Food Branch may make improvements and/or changes at any time without notice.

Health Canada is committed to posting recall information with respect to drugs and medical devices on the Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate's website as a service to the public, the medical community and other stakeholders.

Inquiries regarding the details of a particular recall should be directed to the manufacturer or local supplier.

To ensure the efficiency of mailouts to the United States, addresses for U.S. locations are provided in English only.

Foreign Product Alert

These products are not authorized for sale in Canada and have not been found in the Canadian marketplace, but it is possible they may have been brought into the country by travellers or purchased over the Internet.

Canadians who have this product are advised not to use it, and should consult with a health care professional if they have concerns about their health related to the use of this product.

Drugs and natural health products that are authorized for sale in Canada will have either an eight-digit Drug Identification Number (DIN), a Natural Product Number (NPN) or a Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM) on the label. These numbers indicate that the products have been assessed by Health Canada for safety, effectiveness and quality.

Health Canada advises Canadians to contact the Health Products and Food Branch Inspectorate at 1-800-267-9675 if they find the product listed above in the Canadian marketplace.

For more information about the information contained in this advisory, please contact Health Canada's public inquiries line at (613) 957-2991 or toll-free at 1-866-225-0709.

As of the date of this posting, no adverse reactions suspected to be associated with the use of this product have been reported in Canada.

MedEffect - Notice about Health Canada advisories

The Health Products and Food Branch (HPFB) posts on the Health Canada Web site safety alerts, public health advisories, press releases and other notices as a service to health professionals, consumers, and other interested parties.

These advisories may be prepared with Directorates in the HPFB which includes pre-market and post-market areas as well as market authorization holders and other stakeholders.

Although the HPFB grants market authorizations or licenses for therapeutic products, we do not endorse either the product or the company. Any questions regarding product information should be discussed with your health professional.

Hyperlinking

This site contains links to third party sites. Healthy Canadians provides these links only as a service and convenience to our visitors. Healthy Canadians is not responsible for the accuracy, currency or the reliability of the content. Health Canadians does not offer any guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through these links, nor does it endorse the sites and their content.

Visitors should also be aware that information offered by non-Government of Canada sites to which Healthy Canadians links is not subject to the Privacy Act and the Official Languages Act and may be available only in the language(s) used by the sites in question and visitors should research the privacy policies of the sites before providing personal information. However, the Government of Canada information hosted by these sites is identified as such and complies with the Official Languages Act and with obligations to be accessible to persons with disabilities.

Criteria for hyperlinking to and from the Healthy Canadians website

The Healthy Canadians website is aimed at delivering important consumer notifications and resources to keep Canadians healthy and safe. To this end, the following criteria will be used by Healthy Canadians to determine the suitability of links to and from its website.

General parameters governing linking

  • Healthy Canadians reserves the right to refuse to post a link, to refuse to renew a link, or to terminate an existing link without prior notice due to non-compliance with the criteria mentioned below or for any other appropriate reason which may include, but is not restricted to site navigation or content problems or frequent client complaints.
  • Healthy Canadians does not sell advertising or the benefits associated with links or banners
  • Links may not work as we do not control the availability of externally linked pages.
  • Healthy Canadians does not display third party logos, images or icons on its website unless a collaborative arrangement exists.

Links from the Healthy Canadians website

If you would like to request that Healthy Canadians provide a link to your site from our website, please review the criteria that follows before submitting your request. In general, Healthy Canadians does not link to websites of organizations that are not affiliates of Health Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Public Health Agency of Canada, or Transport Canada, are not partnering or have not partnered with Health Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Public Health Agency of Canada, or Transport Canada, or do not feature relevant, accurate information of which Health Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Public Health Agency of Canada, and/or Transport Canada has an interest in. Decisions to post links on this site will also be subject to this criteria:

  • The content of the site reflects the aims and objectives of Healthy Canadians and is consistent with its mandate. In some cases, Healthy Canadians may consider linking to organizations who are related to the overall GoC mandate, as opposed to the individual mandate of Healthy Canadians.
  • The creation of a link does not provide unfair competitive advantage through online endorsements of third party interests. Links are provided for convenience purposes only and are not an endorsement or rating of the content of the sites to which they are made. Please note that links created within the context of a collaborative arrangement are not considered an endorsement or providing an unfair competitive advantage.
  • The site is not considered inappropriate due to its content or its affiliations.
  • The content of the site complies with the laws of Canada, which includes such items as copyright, privacy, etc.
  • The content of the site is kept current and accurate.
  • The site must allow users to navigate back to the present site; they cannot block the user's return to this site by using embedded code or other techniques within the linked page that prevent the use of the browser "back" button.
  • The site provides contact information that includes, as a minimum, two of the following:
    • e-mail
    • postal mail
    • phone number
    • TTY/TTD

In addition, please note that:

  • Preference may be given to sites that make their information available in both official languages.
  • Preference may be given to sites that meet the accessibility requirements outlined in Common Look and Feel Standards 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4.
  • Preference may be given to sites that provide uninterrupted, free access to users.

Links to the Healthy Canadians website

Generally, GoC institutions encourage third parties to link to the GoC. Sites wishing to link to the Healthy Canadians website, therefore, do not need to request permission to do so. We do, however, ask that you follow these linking practices.

  • Use only text links for linking to the Healthy Canadians website.
  • Do not link and/or use the official symbols of the GoC and Federal Identity Program (FIP) signatures as navigational aids.
  • The official symbols of the GoC and the FIP signatures appear on non-government sites only when they are used to identify a government contribution or participation in a Collaborative Arrangement.
  • The creation of a link does not confuse the user as to the source of the information through such practices as framing.

The links provided respect the Copyright Notice that governs materials published on the Healthy Canadians website.

Official languages

Healthy Canadians respects the Official Languages Act and the relevant Treasury Board policies, and is committed to ensuring all information and services on this site are available in both English and French. However, visitors should be aware that some information from external sources that are not subject to the Official Languages Act is only provided as a convenience and is available only in the language in which it was provided.

Information and services that are provided on this site in languages other than English or French are only provided as a convenience to the user when available.

Privacy notice

The Government of Canada and Health Canada are committed to providing visitors with websites that respect their privacy. This privacy notice summarizes the privacy policy and practices for the Healthy Canadians website.

Personal information collected from users

The Healthy Canadians website does not automatically gather the following personal information from you: your name, phone number or e-mail address. We would only obtain this type of information if you provide it by email, in an online form or in a secure portion of the site. In these circumstances you will be:

  • Asked for consent and/or advised of the authority for collection of this information;
  • Informed of the purpose for which the information is being collected; and
  • Informed how you may access submitted information and request corrections.

Under the federal Privacy Act, Health Canada protects all personal information created, held or collected.

Standard Internet information automatically collected from all users

Health Canada employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage This software receives and records the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer that has contacted our website, the date and time of the visit, the pages visited and the Internet address of the website from which you linked directly to our site, if applicable. We make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our site unless an attempt to damage the site has been detected.

Information on individual visitors is used by Health Canada employees who need to know the information in order to respond to your request or to ensure the security of this system. We only share the information you give us with another government department if your inquiry relates to that department.

Unless specifically noted otherwise, neither electronic systems nor e-mail are secure information transmission methods. It is not recommended that sensitive personal information be transmitted electronically.

Cookies

A "cookie" is a small computer (text) file that may be placed on your hard drive without your knowledge by a website to monitor your use of the site. Health Canada uses "session" cookies (stored in your browser's temporary memory which expire at the end of your session) and "persistent" cookies (stored on your computer's hard drive until it expires or until you delete the cookie) to monitor usage of its website. The cookies we use do not allow us to identify individuals. They are compiled into statistical information on traffic patterns and are used to assess and improve the efficiency of the site.

Google Analytics

Health Canada uses Google Analytics which is a Web analytics service provided by Google Inc. to help measure traffic patterns to, from, and within its public website. Google Analytics uses "session" and "persistent" cookies to collect standard Internet log information and to track visitor behaviour information anonymously. The information generated by the cookies about your use of the website site (including your truncated IP address to ensure your anonymity) will be transmitted to Google. No personally identifying information is recorded or provided to Google. Health Canada uses this anonymous aggregate data and statistical information to evaluate visitors' use of the website. This information, that helps us make our website more useful to visitors, is only available to Web managers and designated staff who require this information to perform their duties.

For further information about Google Analytics, please refer to Google Analytics Privacy Policy.

If you wish, you may opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics by disabling or refusing the cookies; by disabling JavaScript within your browser; or by using the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On . By disabling cookies or JavaScript you will still be able to access our main public website; however you might have difficulties accessing a small number of pages which require cookies or JavaScript to function. To disable cookies or JavaScript, please refer to your browser's Help Menu for instructions.

For further information on how we use Google Analytics, visit tracking web page visits to improve your online experience.

External Service Providers

To effectively operate its websites, Health Canada occasionally uses external service providers. Such service providers are bound by contract with Health Canada to treat any personal information they may receive in a manner that is consistent with the Privacy Act.

If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about how external service providers handle personal information, you may wish to contact Health Canada's Access to Information and Privacy Directorate.

Questions

Questions or comments regarding this policy, or the administration of the Privacy Act in Health Canada may be directed to the Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator.

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, you may wish to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by e-mail at: info@privcom.gc.ca, by telephone at 1-800-282-1376 or visit their website.

For a description of the records held by the Health Canada, as part of the Depository Services Program, please visit Sources of Federal Government Information on Infosource.

For access to the standard personal information held by Health Canada and other government institutions, please visit the Index of Standard Personal Information Banks page on Infosource.

Visit the Federal Privacy Commissioner's website for a summary of your rights under the Privacy Act.

Visit the Office of the Information Commissioner's website for information on your rights under the Access to Information Act.

Finding information

You can find information on the Healthy Canadians website by using one of the following methods:

  • Navigation
    All of the information on the website is organized under 3 main subject headings which are:
    • Learn about health and safety
    • Recalls and safety alerts
    • Report a health or safety concern
  • Recalls and safety alerts search tips: Use AND, OR, NOT or " " for phrases or specific product names to improve your results. For example, "peanuts" OR "peanut butter".
  • RSS Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds
    Find out what RSS is and why you might find it useful to use Healthy Canadians RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds.
  • Search Engine
    The search engine offers quick access to information through bilingual (French or English) keyword or phrase searches.

Accessibility Help

Accessible Alternative Formats

We are committed to fair access to information regardless of the technologies used, and are continually striving to make our site accessible to the broadest range of disabilities and assistive devices. Accessible alternative formats can be made available upon request by contacting Info@hc-sc.gc.ca.

Increasing text size

You can change the settings in your web browser. Just follow the instructions below based on the browser you are using or see your browser's help for details.

  • Internet Explorer
    1. Select "View" in the menu bar.
    2. Select "Text Size".
    3. Select "Larger" or "Largest".
  • Mozilla Firefox
    1. Select "View" in the menu bar.
    2. Select "Text Size".
    3. Select "Increase".
    4. To increase the text size further, continue selecting "Increase".
  • Opera
    1. Select "View" in the menu bar.
    2. Select "Zoom".
    3. From the menu, select the size with which you would like to view the Web site.
    4. To increase the text size further, increase the percentage.
  • Netscape
    1. Select "View" in the menu bar.
    2. Select "Text Size".
    3. From the menu, select the size with which you would like to view the Web site.

Alternative formats and plug-ins

Information throughout our website is provided in HTML as the primary format. In some cases, other software formats are provided as alternatives. To open these alternate formats, you may need to download and install one or more of the following on your computer:

About RSS feeds

Never miss an update

Subscribe to our Healthy Canadians RSS feed and stay on top of all the latest news and information. Every time the site is updated you will be notified with a summary of the new content and link to the full posting. You can access RSS feeds through your computer, smartphone or cellphone.

Online readers/aggregators

An RSS Reader, also known as an aggregator, will download and display RSS feeds for you. Many readers are separate programs; where other services, such as My Yahoo!, will let you add RSS feeds directly to a web page.

The RSS readers/aggregators allow users to receive links to updated web content, and view it at their convenience. When users sign up for an RSS feed, a message will appear in their feed reader every time new information is added to the website.

The following are a few of the many RSS readers/aggregators available on the web:

To view one of the RSS feeds online in your RSS reader/aggregator:

  1. Copy the URL link(s) located beside the topic(s) of your choice.
  2. Paste the URL link(s) into your reader.

To view one of the RSS feeds online in any RSS reader/aggregator:

  1. Copy the .xml URL link.
  2. Paste it into your reader.

Email RSS services

There is also an added service where you can register online to have the RSS feed sent directly to your email account.

The following are a few free online services that let you subscribe to RSS feeds via email:

To receive email notices through an email RSS service:

  1. Copy the URL link(s) located beside the topic(s) of your choice.
  2. Paste the URL link(s) into the email subscription page.

Technical problems? Feedback?

If you have any technical problems with a Healthy Canadians RSS feed or have any comments or suggestions, please let us know.

Subscribe to RSS updates.