Food allergens and gluten sources, as well as added sulfites present in a total amount of 10 ppm or more, must be shown on the label, either in the list of ingredients or in a “Contains” statement.
- Any product derived from the following foods are considered sources of priority allergens:
- almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts
- peanuts
- sesame seeds
- wheat and triticale
- eggs
- milk
- soybeans
- crustaceans, shellfish, fish
- mustard seeds
- gluten (barley; oats; rye; triticale; and wheat [includes kamut and spelt])
- The common name of the following ingredients need to specify:
- the name of the plant in the common name of all forms of starch or modified starch (ex.: cornstarch).
- the name of the source of lecithin in the common name of lecithin (ex.: soy lecithin).
- the name of the crustacean as the common name for a crustacean (ex.: crab, shrimp, etc.).
- the name of the shellfish as the common name of a shellfish (ex.: octopus, snail, etc.).
- the plant name of all hydrolyzed plant proteins (ex.: hydrolyzed soy protein).
- The “gluten-free” claim includes every gluten protein or modified gluten protein, including any gluten protein fraction, referred to in the definition of “gluten”.
- If the label bears a “Contains” statement and added sulfites are present in a total amount of 10 ppm (10 mg sulfites per 1000 kg of food) or more, they are required to be shown in the statement even if they are already shown in the list of ingredients.
- Bourbon whisky, standardized alcoholic beverages and vinegars remain exempt from carrying a list of ingredients. However, they do require a label and food allergens, gluten, or added sulfites in a total amount of 10 ppm or more, must be shown on the label of these products in a “Contains” statement or in a list of ingredients.
- Prepackaged beer, ale, stout, porter and malt liquor for which a standard is prescribed are exempt from the allergen labelling requirements unless a list of ingredients is voluntarily provided.
Fining agents derived from eggs, fish or milk used in the production of Bourbon whisky or standardized alcoholic beverages are not exempt from these regulatory requirements. - Wax coating compounds and their components are not exempt from the food allergen declaration. If a food allergen or gluten is present as a result of the use of a wax coating compound or its components in a prepackaged fresh fruit or vegetable that carries a label, the food allergen or gluten source must be shown on the label of the product either in the ingredient list or in the “Contains” statement. These requirements would not apply to prepackaged fresh fruits or vegetables that are packaged in a wrapper or confining band of less than 1⁄2 inch in width since these products are exempt from carrying a label.
