The New Zealand government is starting to recognise the therapeutic benefits of natural health products, but the country is still a long way from making therapeutic claims product labelling a reality, says the country’s industry body.

New Zealand’s Ministry of Health recently published an Isolation Plan for COVID-19 . A checklist​ that named the use of certain natural health products for therapeutic benefits was included.

“Drinks and other medications that help with cold and flu-like symptoms, like lemon tea with honey, cough syrup,” ​was one of the statements in the checklist.

The announcement also encouraged the public to try “hot lemon and honey or kawakawa tea”, “cough syrup or soothing lozenges” ​for coughs, sore throats, or blocked noses.

This move has come as a “pleasant surprise”,​ Samantha Gray, Natural Health Products NZ’s government affairs director told NutraIngredients-Asia.

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