Examples of misidentification, adulteration, and contamination of natural health products have been widely recorded both within Canada and around the world (see Appendix viii. for case studies and discussion of this issue). Although the health impacts of these failures in due diligence or deliberate misrepresentation are sometimes benign, these failures have also had tragic consequences. Beyond the serious health risks to consumers, the impact on industry credibility of cases of misrepresentation that reach the press has been negative as well. Consumers are obviously concerned when information appears in the media suggesting that natural health products are ineffective, or worse, that they may present a risk to human health.

As the industry has developed and demand has grown in the industrialised countries, consumer awareness of these products and the issues associated with them has also grown. Concerns over safety, efficacy, purity, and product origins (i.e., country, cultivated or wild harvested) have become front and centre in the public consciousness surrounding these products. Within these various issues, questions of botanical identity are a key feature. Accurate plant identification is the foundation of the safe use of plantbased natural health products. Without proper identification as a starting point, the safe use of quality products cannot be guaranteed.

There is a recognition within industry and government that there is a need to protect access and choice by consumers when it comes to natural health products. At the same time, consumers have a right to expect that these products can be used with confidence regarding their safety and quality. Workable plant identification practices that will be widely adopted by producers and collectors will make a contribution towards the safe use of these products and ultimately, to public confidence in the industry.

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