Page 30 - The Ultimate Guidebook for Teens with Food Allergies

2. Ingredients that use scientific words for allergens must use clearer/common language in English and French. For example, “albumen” must show the word “egg.”10
The new regulations apply to the list of "priority allergens" that have been identified as most likely to cause serious allergic reactions for Canadians. Priority allergens now include peanut, tree nuts (almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts), milk, egg, seafood (fish, crustaceans, shellfish), soy, wheat, sesame seed, mustard, and sulphite. Companies have the option to either list the allergens on the ingredient list, in common language in parentheses following the un-common word or list them in a separate “contains” statement at the end of the ingredient list. If this option is used all of the allergens in the product must be listed in the “contain” statement. It is wise to remember that not all companies will use this option to provide allergen information therefore, you should always read the entire ingredient list as well as the “contains” statement.
Health Canada has also included gluten sources and added sulphites to the new priority allergen list. This will increase food choices available to Canadians with food intolerances, Celiac disease11 and sulphite reactions. Companies are now able to indicate that products are “gluten-free” if they unintentionally contain very small amounts of gluten [e.g. below 20 parts per million (ppm)].12 However, it is important to remember that gluten free products may not be safe for someone who has a severe wheat allergy.
Limiting the number of Precautionary Statements
There have been numerous and sometimes confusing terms used by manufacturers to alert allergic consumers of the possible presence of unintentional allergen in a product. To help consumers, Health Canada has encouraged manufacturers to use only one precautionary warning statement “may contain X” instead of the variety of phrases that you can find.13 But remember, “may contain” statements are not required by law and companies can choose to use different phrases to say “may contain”. Although these claims are not part of the labelling law they must be truthful and not misleading.
Quick Tip - Companies can choose to put “free from” logos on their products to assist consumers in finding products that do not contain specific allergens. Although these logos are not part of the labelling laws the claims they make are held to the same standards as the precautionary statements and must be truthful and not misleading. There are many products that have a peanut-free symbol but do not indicate
13 Health Canada. Food allergen labelling. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/allergen/index-eng.php. Accessed: 16 January 2015.