It's very important to learn how to read food labels and make a habit of checking ingredients carefully. This will help avoid accidents from happening.

Although new rules (from August 2012) will make labels easier to read, some ingredients may be listed using scientific words that are not easy to understand. For example, 'casein' means that milk is in the product, 'albumen' means egg.

To learn more about other names for certain foods, read the Food Allergens section of our website.

There are ten priority allergens in Canada: peanut, tree nuts, soy, wheat, egg, milk, seafood (shellfish, fish, and crustaceans), sesame, sulphites and mustard. While food products sold in Canada must meet Canadian food labelling regulations some imported products may not declare all allergens clearly. For more information on Canada's food labelling rules go to http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/label-etiquet/allergen/index-eng.php

Tips

• Make a habit of reading ingredients labels every time you buy or eat a product. To be safe do the Triple Check and read the label:
  
  1. When buying an item
  2. When putting the product away at home
  3. Just before serving the product
• Buy allergen cards from our product catalogue.
• Check with manufacturers directly to see if the product is safe for you even if there is an allergen-free claim. For more information see Is this product safe? Be careful of imported products since labelling rules are different from country to country.

What should you do if you have a reaction?

Contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) if you think your reaction was caused by a food you are allergic to which may not have been listed in the ingredients. To find the CFIA office in your area:

• Contact the CFIA using this form
  http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/util/contact/commene.shtml or call CFIA's Food Labelling Information Service in your area. A list of locations is available at http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/guide/ch1e.shtml#offbur
• Keep a record of inquiries made - date and time of call, name of the person you spoke to, and what they said.
• Keep a sample of the product and the original package. The sample can be tested and the lot/batch number on the package identifies a specific plant and production date and time. If an undeclared allergen is detected, a product recall may be issued.
• Send a copy of your final correspondence with the company and the CFIA to Anaphylaxis Canada by email or fax (416) 785-0458.
• Contact your allergist for follow up. If likely causes have been ruled out, maybe a new allergy has developed.