Are There Canadian Guidelines for Tamper Evident Seal Use?

From soft drinks to medicine, there is a huge diversity when it comes to products out there that use tamper evident seals to provide peace of mind to customers. In fact, this method of packaging is in many cases not just for the comfort of consumers, but in many cases required by law as well. In this article we will take a brief survey of some of the products in Canada, which may require the use of tamper proof seals.

What are tamper proof seals?

Tamper proofing has been around as a concept for centuries, at least since people learned to communicate by correspondence. One of the earliest forms of tamper sealing that people today are familiar with is that of the seal; a letter was sealed by a wax, possibly with an imprint of a ring or family crest put in the wax. If the seal was broken, the recipient knew someone had tampered with the mail.

Today, tamper proof sealing has gone way beyond just the wax seal, although the concept is certainly the same. People today are more worried than ever before over the possibilities of bio terrorism and so on, and companies and governments have responded through the use of a wide range of sealing options to prove that the contents of a package have not been handled or altered. The measures include everything from a simple aluminium seal such as that found on over the counter medication to the vacuum seal used by beverage and baby food manufacturers.

Tamper proof seals and Canadian regulations

While the manufacturer voluntarily seals some products, there are other products on the market that are mandated to by law to have some sort of seal. Some products that fall into this category include over the counter pain and headache medication, and money coming from the mint.

Just as certain products are regulated when it comes to the necessity of seals, so too are the types of seals to be used on a certain product laid down. Meat, for example, has very specific regulations governing the seal that must be used when it is in transit. Stamps and other paper also have a governing principle when it comes to tamper proof seals.

For the most part, tamper proof seals are a voluntary action undertaken by manufacturers and producers in the interest of customer security. In some cases, however, government stipulates whether or not manufacturers have the option or must use tamper proof seals.