First BLIS K12 Probiotic Gum Gets Canada NPN

An oral-health probiotic gum is now the first gum featuring the BLIS K12 Streptococcus salivarius probiotic strain to get a Natural Product Number in Canada.

Under Canada’s 2004-effective Natural Health Products Regulations, all natural health products must be given a product license and a Natural Product Number (NPN) in order to be able to be sold in Canada. The NPN lets consumers know Health Canada has reviewed a product’s safety, quality, and efficacy.

PrairieNaturals markets its CulturedCare gum for numerous aspects of oral health, thanks to BLIS K12. NPN approval means BLIS K12 can now use health claims in Canada, including 1) helping to recolonize the oral cavity with healthy bacteria after, for instance, a consumer rinses with an antibacterial mouthwash, and 2) reducing halitosis.

“The issuance of an NPN for products featuring BLIS K12 is a first step for BLIS probiotics in the Canadian marketplace,” says Jeremy Moore, president of Stratum Nutrition (St. Louis), which supplies BLIS K12, “Now that a product containing BLIS K12 has received an NPN, we anticipate consumer access to such products will increase in Canada.”