New federal labelling regulations aimed at preventing allergic reactions to certain foods are a welcome move, says Sundre physician Dr. Hal Irvine.Last week Health Canada announced regulations to strengthen labelling of food product allergens and gluten sources.The new labelling, Irvine said, ìis going to be better for people with serious food allergies because it can be life-threatening, even in trace quantities.ìPeople with those kinds of allergies need to know what they are eating. Most people with food allergies are very vigilant at reading labels, but the more labelling and the more accurate labelling we see, the easier it is going to be for them.îHealth Canada says five to six per cent of young children and three to four per cent of adults suffer from food allergies, and that almost one per cent of the population is affected by celiac disease, which is related to gluten consumption.Foods most frequently associated with severe allergic reactions include almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, walnuts, peanuts, sesame seeds, wheat, eggs, milk, soybeans, crustaceans, fish, shellfish and mustard seeds, says Health Canada.The new regulations will require additional labelling and strengthen the existing labelling requirements to require clearer language and declaration of contents.For example, one section of the new act sets out new requirements for the ìmay containî statements placed on labels. The new rules include the requirement that the statement appear immediately after the list of ingredients when a list is provided.As well, when a ìmay containî statement is used, it must be complete for all food allergens and gluten present in every pre-packaged product.ìAll parents want to have confidence in the food they are serving their families, and these changes to food labels will make it easier for parents of children with food allergies to identify potentially harmful, if not fatal, ingredients in foods,î Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said in announcing the changes.ìThis means that Canadians with food allergies, sensitivities and celiac disease will soon be able to make more informed choices about the foods they buy.ìOur government is committed to protecting children and families from dangerous products, and this is clear from the measures we have taken in our new Consumer Product Safety Act.îDue primarily to the shelf life of some foods already manufactured, Health Canada has given industry 18 months to implement the new allergen labelling regulations. The deadline for the changeover is Aug. 4, 2012.Since the new regulations won't be completely implemented until that time, residents should continue to err on the side of caution when it comes to existing food allergy warning labels. For example, if a label states a product ìmay containî nuts, it's best to assume it does.ìI know the feedback I get from patients, particularly food allergies, is that they are very appreciative of the labelling that Canada does have, which is much better than some countries,î said Dr. Irvine. ìThat said, these new regulations are absolutely a good idea.îHealth Canada says it will also be conducting a public awareness campaign to advise the public about the changes in the coming months.
