The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), a government agency that performs a role similar to the U.S.’s Food and Drug Administration, recently put into place new labeling rules for prepackaged foods in Canada. The new rules are similar to current FALCPA laws in the United States. Here’s a summary, plus how the Canadian rules differ from those in the U.S.:

• As in the United States, the most common food allergens and their derivatives have to be labeled on packaged foods. The Canadian regulations include sesame and molluscan shellfish among this list, unlike the U.S.
• The Canadian regulations have specific requirements for gluten-containing foods, requiring that all foods containing wheat, rye, barley, spelt, triticale, and oats be labeled.
• As in the United States, all foods with sulfites in concentrations of more than 10 parts per million must be labeled as “containing sulfites.”
• Finally, all hydrolyzed vegetable proteins, lecithins, and starches must have their sources labeled, even if they’re not among the common allergens mentioned above.

More about food labeling and common allergens…

• Health Canada: New Labeling Requirements
• The Most Common Food Allergens
• How to Sign Up for FDA and CFIA Allergy Recall Alerts
• Reading Labels for Food Allergens