Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Label Laws Lagging

Those of us who deal with food allergies up here in Canada have been waiting for the government to come through with promised legislation that would require manufacturers to clearly list the most common 10 allergens on food packages. At the moment, this is voluntary and comes in many differing iterations (see my Read That Label post for some examples).

We had been expecting it this year, but according to the latest issue of the Allergic Living News Report, the legislation has been delayed yet again until Spring of next year. And although that is when the new rules are due to start, we will probably be waiting much longer, since at that point companies will have at least 12 months of grace to update their packaging.

Health Canada received over 140 comments (suggestions) on just what the labels should contain, and how allergens should be stated. You can read the list from the Health Canada website here. While these delays are frustrating, I’m sure you can agree that the end product is well worth it and much needed.

Here’s looking forward to 2010!

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