Health Canada’s Natural Health Products Directorate approves dietary supplements—everything from vitamins and minerals to herbal remedies—for sale. You’ll know a product has been green-lighted if it has an eight-digit Natural Product Number (NPN) or a Drug Identification Number (DIN), which appear on all drugs, including
over-the-counter and prescription drugs. NPNs are replacing DINs on natural health products. “If you don’t see either number, then check with your pharmacist,” says Leonard Piché, registered dietitian and nutritional scientist at the Brescia University College at The University of Western Ontario.