Page 29 - The Ultimate Guidebook for Teens with Food Allergies

For anyone new to reading labels, or as a reminder that may be useful when teaching friends and family how to read labels, there are a number of considerations aside from simply what is in the ingredients list. It is essential to be able to recognize different names for your allergen. For example, if you are allergic to milk, you should be aware that both “whey” and “casein” would not be safe. It is also important to know which forms of an allergen may be okay for you. For example, if you are allergic to soy protein, you may be able to tolerate soybean oil, soy lecithin or other forms of soy. But this is a decision you should discuss with your allergist.
When it comes to precautionary labels (e.g. “may contain” statements), it is important to realize that these terms are put on by a manufacturer to tell you that an allergen might have unintentionally got into a mixture or come in contact with another allergen during or before the production process. This is a voluntary step that manufacturers can use to alert allergic consumers but not a requirement. It is wise to choose products that you know or avoid using a new product until you have called the manufacturer to check if it is safe for you.
If the product is made in a different country (especially countries where allergies are less common), you have to be more careful. The common advice is to stick with products made in North America. Different countries have different food labelling standards. If there is a different flavour or variety of the same food that contains your allergen, and they look like they were made in the same place, it is worth investigating further to see if they were made with the same ingredients or in a different facility or country. Take the following as an example: You are allergic to peanuts and see that a regular box of cookies has no “may contain” statement on it. However, the smaller snack-size package with mini cookies declares, “may contain peanuts”. It is definitely a good idea to call the company to get clarification on why there is a difference between the two packages of the same product brand.
Labelling laws in Canada
As of August 4, 2012, a new set of food allergen labelling regulations was put into place in Canada. These regulations cover both pre-packaged food produced in Canada and pre-packaged food imported to Canada. The new regulations state that:
1. While it is still necessary for foods to be listed in decreasing order of amount, some ingredients used in food products were previously exempt from declaration (such as components (part of a part) of margarine, or seasonings). If they are a priority allergen (see Chapter 2), these components must now be listed as well. For example, “mustard” would need to be shown if it is a component of “spices” and “milk” as an ingredient of margarine.9
9 10 11 Health Canada. Food allergen labelling. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/allergen/index-eng.php. Accessed: 16 January 2015.
12 Health Canada. Health Canada’s Position on Gluten-Free Claims http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/allerg/cel-coe/gluten- position-eng.php. Accessed: 25 February, 2015