Follow By Email: Advocacy in action: Participate in Health Canada’s consultation on accurate ingredient information for online foods

Food Allergy Canada is a nationally registered charity committed to educating, supporting, and advocating for the more than 3 million Canadians impacted by food allergy.

Dear e,

Health Canada is proposing new guidance for the food industry for food products being sold online in Canada.

Your voice is needed to help ensure these changes happen.

Currently, the enhanced food allergen labelling laws only apply to the physical package of pre-packaged foods and don’t extend to the labelling requirements for the same products sold online or to food sold online for take-out/delivery.

Access Label. Add to Cart.: Advocate now to get accurate ingredient info before you buy food online

When you buy food online (e.g., groceries, take-out, delivery), you may not be given the same level of ingredient information as you would see on the label of products you purchase in person. This lack of transparency can lead to purchasing products or ordering food that may not be safe options for you or your family, and it may prevent you from purchasing any food products online.

We raised this issue with Health Canada on behalf of our community to emphasize the need for accurate and complete ingredient information for all food products, regardless of how or where they are sold, so Canadians with food allergy can make safe, informed choices.

Now, Health Canada is proposing new guidance to specifically address the need for clear labelling of food allergens.

Here’s what you need to know:

Health Canada’s proposed guidance calls on the food industry, both food manufacturers and foodservice/restaurant operations, to provide:

Allergen information (including “may contain” statements) for any food offered for sale online, including those packaged or prepared by the seller (for example take-out food sold by a restaurant, food sold in bulk, and food sold from a deli case).The information should be provided before the purchase is concluded and it should accompany that food upon delivery to the consumer.

The same food information that is required to appear on any given label of food offered for sale in a physical store.

Food information on a product information page in a manner that is clear, prominent, and legible.

Next steps: Participate in the consultation

Health Canada wants to hear from you. Let them know you support the guidance recommendations above and how they will help you and your family feel more confident when shopping for food products online.

Step 1: Read the consultation request

Read now

Step 2: Complete the Health Canada Consultation Questionnaire by July 8th, 2022

Include any of the points above that you would like to highlight and let Health Canada know how important proper ingredient disclosure and allergen labelling is for those living with food allergy.

To make it easier, you can copy this paragraph:

“I am one of over 3 million Canadians impacted by food allergy and I support Health Canada’s proposed recommendations for allergen labelling for food products sold online. All Canadians have a right to know what is in the food they are buying, and it is even more important for those with food allergy as it’s a necessity to staying safe and avoiding potentially life-threatening allergic reactions.”

Within the questionnaire you can share your experience of shopping online and any issues you encountered. Be sure to include what ingredient information was missing or unclear for any products you were shopping for or ordering online and how that impacted your purchasing decisions.

Complete the questionnaire

We will continue to engage Health Canada throughout the consultation process and keep you updated on our progress.

Scroll below to find additional actions you can take, including registering for our Townhall on June 15th and taking our survey to help inform our response to Health Canada’s consultation.

Thank you in advance for your support in helping to make an impact and drive change!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Gerdts

Executive Director, Food Allergy Canada

Additional actions to take

We want to hear from you and share our behind-the-scenes advocacy efforts with you directly. Participate in our activities on this consultation below.

Townhall: June 15th at 12-12:30pm EDT

Learn why this consultation is so important, and what is being done behind-the-scenes with government and industry on increasing the accuracy of ingredient labelling.