Thank you very much.
The issue of natural health products and the shared responsibilities that the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Health Canada have in terms of food safety relate to the point the honourable member raised. In the case of natural health products, with new regulatory requirements introduced by Health Canada several years ago, which created the new category of natural health products, these products fall within the definition of drugs and as a result fall outside of the jurisdiction of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. It was therefore for that reason that products that fall under the definition of a natural health product were then outside the scope of CFIA's mandate in terms of its inspection and certification activities.
We continue to work very closely with our colleagues at Health Canada as we manage the transition in terms of the management of natural health products so that products that previously might have been considered foods but now with the claims that are made come into the definition of a drug, we want to ensure that those products continue to be eligible for export and continue to be subject to export certification.
And there can be a combination effect. We do see situations, for example, where a company that markets dairy products also has a natural health product containing dairy ingredients for which specific health claims are made. We ensure that the CFIA portion in terms of its inspection of the facility is conveyed to our colleagues at Health Canada to facilitate the certification of that product into export markets. So the situation that you note is indeed one that we recognize, and we work very closely with Health Canada so as to minimize any disruption for the industry.