How to Verify a Natural Product Number (NPN) in Canada

Natural health products licensed for sale in Canada carry an eight-digit Natural Product Number (NPN) on the label. The NPN identifies a specific product licence and its authorized conditions of use.

How to check an NPN

  1. Find the eight-digit NPN on the product label.
  2. Open Health Canada’s Licensed Natural Health Products Database (LNHPD).
  3. Search the exact eight digits. Do not add the letters “NPN” to the number field.
  4. Compare the database record with the product label, including the product name, licence holder, medicinal ingredients, dosage form, recommended use or purpose, recommended dose and risk information.
  5. Check the current licence status. An active record is different from a suspended, cancelled or discontinued record.

What an NPN tells you

An NPN means Health Canada has authorized the product for sale in Canada under the recommended conditions of use shown in its licence and on its label. The LNHPD can show the product name, licence holder, ingredients, dosage form, recommended use or purpose, dose and risk information.

What an NPN does not tell you

An NPN does not authorize every statement made about an ingredient or product. Always compare marketing language with the specific licensed record and follow the current product label. A licensed product may still have cautions, contraindications, interactions or known adverse reactions.

Before using a natural health product

Read and follow the label. Speak with a qualified health care professional if you have questions, especially if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, are giving a product to a child, have a serious medical condition, or use medications or other natural health products. Report unwanted side effects to a health care professional and Health Canada.

Official resources

This page provides general educational information and is not medical advice. Health Canada’s current database record and the current product label should be used for product-specific information.