Placenta Encapsulation in Canada: A Cautionary Tale

Did you know that Canada recently outlawed the practice of placenta encapsulation?

Placenta encapsulation specialists who continue to provide the service are practicing illegally. Seems like a drastic step, yet one that a national governing body felt necessary for a few reasons.

You see, Health Canada views the placenta as biologic. A drug derived from human or animal microorganisms using biotechnology is a biologic. As a result, the production and sale of a drug without proper licensing is illegal.

“Placenta products prepared by a third party are considered drugs, and therefore subject to the requirements of the Food and Drugs Act and Regulations.”

In the conversations that have followed Health Canada has further clarified their stance.

There is no way to regulate or oversee the process of encapsulation in a third party’s (encapsulator’s) place of business. The majority of which is in the encapsulator’s own home. Health Canada has also cited some other concerns. These concerns focus on sanitation, cross-contamination, and the risk of introducing possible infectious agents from the encapsulator’s space into the finished capsules.

So you may be wondering.

Why is this important here in southern Arizona?

In the United States, no such regulation exists at this time. That’s good news for the families who wish to have their placenta encapsulated by a professional postpartum placenta specialist. Here at Tucson & Sierra Vista Doulas, we strive to make every part of our process as safe as possible.

We do this so that should concern over placenta encapsulation from the health department occur, we can have a place at the table in the discussion. Some European countries have established safety guidelines for encapsulation. These safety guidelines are what our process follows. We want to be active participants in the discussion.

We want to demonstrate that we have, safe, well thought out processes. As a result, our process is supported by research and established safe practices. Should the day ever come that the health department turns its lens towards placenta encapsulation, we are ready.

Placenta: Dietary Supplement vs Medicine

We recognize the power that placenta consumption has for many post-birth parents. We’ve seen the positive effects and our clients rave about the benefits they experience.

Even so, it is important for us to discuss placenta consumption as a postpartum dietary supplement vs a medicine.

Medicine is a word that encompasses the diagnosis and treatment or prevention of disease. We do not believe that the post-birth period is a disease process that needs medicine for treatment.

Placenta capsules and tinctures are dietary supplements. Unlike medicine, dietary supplements are not intended to treat a disease process. Supplements can serve to reduce the risks of developing certain health complications.

We believe it is important to make the distinction between placenta as a medicine versus a dietary supplement.

These distinctions may seem trivial to some but they are important. Being clear that the product we are producing is not a medicine is a protective measure. It protects the consumer from being misled as to the safety, efficacy, and oversight and regulation by the FDA of placenta products. It also protects the specialists should the health department or FDA ever seek to investigate and potentially regulate the practice of encapsulation.

We work hard every day to ensure that we deliver the safest, most reliable and well-researched placenta encapsulation service available in all of southern Arizona.

Reach out today to learn more about our process. We would love to talk to you about why you should choose southern Arizona’s only certified postpartum placenta specialists for your placenta encapsulation needs.