New Health Canada policy for hand sanitizers sold in beverage containers
October 5, 2020
Health Canada published its new policy for hand sanitizers sold in beverage containers late on Friday to help minimize the risk of unintentional ingestion of these products. RCC was successful in advocating that these changes be implemented at the manufacturing level and not at retail. The new requirements will be required for any new hand sanitizers distributed after November 27, 2020.
The new policy requires cautionary messaging on the label, such as “for external use only” or “keep out of reach of children” and new lid closures, such as “flip-top lids” or “disc top caps”. These requirements will essentially ban certain containers such as beer and soda cans, food and beverage pouches, tetra packs, and vaping cartridges.
In the meantime, RCC recommends retailers use caution when selling hand sanitizers in beverage/food packages. In circumstances where normal packaging cannot be used, retailers should take proper precautions, including clear labelling, warnings, and safe placement of the product in the store (e.g. not near other beverages or food).
