Canadian Allergens
Hi, I'm new to this forum. Can anyone tell me what all the Canadian Allergens are? I was told that celery is an allergen in Canada but, can't find any information on it.
Thank You
Here is the list of allergens from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency website:
Food AllergensFood allergen means any protein from any of the following foods, or any modified protein that includes any protein fraction derived from any of the following foods: [B.01.010.1(1), FDR].
- almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios or walnuts;
- peanuts;
- sesame seeds;
- wheat or triticale;
- eggs;
- milk;
- soybeans;
- crustaceans
- shellfish;
- fish; or
- mustard seeds.
For more information here is the CFIA website: www.inspection.gc.ca
Here are the significant allergens in each country. You may be aware there are over 190 foods that some people may have an allergenic reaction. The Big Eight varies with regions around the world.
United States
Canada
US Big 8, plus
Is there any talk that Celery is going to be a Canadian Allergen soon?
Here is a link to the Allergen List from CFIA:
http://www.inspectio...9/1357665699917
This includes a form for sending to your suppliers.
MaryK
Hi, I'm new to this forum. Can anyone tell me what all the Canadian Allergens are? I was told that celery is an allergen in Canada but, can't find any information on it.
Thank You
Dear jportz,
Did you mean from a labelling POV or was it a biochemical query ?
The answers may differ. If the former, the answer from above posts appears to be No. Presumably this also includes celery itself ?
Rgds / Charles.C
added - biochemically speaking, a Canadian comment is here -
http://www.inspectio...4/1332352076501
However geographically, Canada may be relatively fortunate compared to some other locations, eg -
Yes from labeling and if we have to treat products with celery as allergens and sanitize if we ship to Canada.
Yes from labeling and if we have to treat products with celery as allergens and sanitize if we ship to Canada.
If you mean chemically sanitize to remove celery's allergenicity, I doubt this is possible.
Rgds / Charles.C
As of today celery is not considered an allergen in Canada. In the last round of review mustard was the only added to the list allergens that are required to be labeled but celery was considered.
However at a training I was at last week it was mentioned that they are again considering adding celery.
Sandi
Garlic was also on the allergen potential list. Reason being is the number of eastern European folks immigrating to Canada and there these are considered allergens.
We will soon be exporting products to Canada. We already treat Sesame as a "sensitive ingredient" with much of the same controls as an allergen. Our corporate Food Safety Manager (my boss) is under the impression that Barley is to be considered an allergen for Canadian products as well. We are a bakery, and all white flour has barley, but whole wheat does not. He has written into our allergen program an allergen changeover prior to running the whole grain product. Based on what I just read on the web site, he is mistaken. Am I correct?
We will soon be exporting products to Canada. We already treat Sesame as a "sensitive ingredient" with much of the same controls as an allergen. Our corporate Food Safety Manager (my boss) is under the impression that Barley is to be considered an allergen for Canadian products as well. We are a bakery, and all white flour has barley, but whole wheat does not. He has written into our allergen program an allergen changeover prior to running the whole grain product. Based on what I just read on the web site, he is mistaken. Am I correct?
Is it possible he is thinking from a gluten perspective?
I have no idea what he is thinking. I personaly didn't think it made sense, so I came here to ask all the experts! Before I could ask I saw this post, then the link and there you go, question answered. I sent him the info I found and asked where he got his info from. Guess I will find out in the morning.......
Barley has gluten, which is the protein which causes the same allergic reaction as wheat. Some with celiac can't eat it without consequences and it should be treated like the wheat allergen. Rye is the same. Triticale is wheat and rye together, but all 4 contain gluten.
Dear magenta_m,
Nitpick Alert ! :gleam:
Calling gluten a/the protein is a bit like calling coliform a bacterium.
eg see –
http://celiac.org/li...what-is-gluten/
http://www.wisegeek....t-is-gluten.htm
http://health.usnews...s-gluten-anyway
Admittedly many other publications will visibly disagree.
The terms allergy and intolerance seem to be another fruitful black hole. Enter at ye peril !, eg
http://z10.invisionf...c/ar/t11550.htm
(geek humour I suspect, only first half worth reading, just)
Rgds / Charles.C
Dear magenta_m,
Nitpick Alert ! :gleam:
Calling gluten a/the protein is a bit like calling coliform a bacterium.
eg see –
http://celiac.org/li...what-is-gluten/
Touche. there are actually so many gluten protiens that it's broken into two groups - gliadins and glutenins. The specific protein you look for will even dictate your test - are you looking for R5 or omega gliadin?
http://z10.invisionf...c/ar/t11550.htm
(geek humour I suspect, only first half worth reading, just)
Rgds / Charles.C
Thumbs up for enduring geek humor :) Is this the first chapter in a steam punk book? I was not expecting the rat-pic action XD
I've just had to research this. Wheat is considered an allergen while Gluten is considered a sensitivity. Both must be included in labelling in Canada.
For the purposed of labelling, wheat sources are considered to be different types of wheat (Atta, Bulgur, Couscous, Durum, Einkorn, Emmer, Flour, Farina, Fu, Graham, high-gluten and high-protein flour, Kamut, Seitan, Semolina, Spelt (dinkel, farro), and tricale; which contain gluten.
Gluten means any gluten protein from the grain of any of the following cereals or the grain of a hybridized strain created from at least one of the following cereals: barley, oats, rye, triticale (will be considered a WHEAT ALLERGEN), and wheat (all species - will be considered a WHEAT ALLERGEN), or any modified gluten protein, including any gluten protein fraction, that is derived from the grain of any of the cereals referred to above or the grain of a hybridized strain referred to earlier. The definition of gluten also includes prolamins, which are a group of plant storage proteins having a high content of the amino acid proline. Prolamins are also found in the seeds of the above cereal grains as follows: gliadin in wheat, hordein in barley, secalin in rye, and avenin in oats.
The requirement for food allergens and gluten declarations apply to all generations of ingredients. Therefore, food allergens and gluten must be declared regardless of which generation they are present in. For example, if they are present in the third or fourth generation of ingredients they will still have to be declared in the list of ingredients on the product label or in a contains statement. Food allergens and gluten must be declared in one of two ways: 1) by being declared in the list of ingredients or 2) in a "contains" statement.
Option 1: The prescribed source name of the food allergen or gluten may be shown in parentheses in the list of the ingredients, as follows:
- (a) Immediately after the ingredient that is shown in the list, if the food allergen or gluten [B.01.010.1(8)(a), FDR]
- Is, or is present in, that ingredient, but is not a component or present in a component of that ingredient, or
- Is, or is present in, a component of that ingredient and the component is not shown in the list of ingredients;
For example: Ingredient List: flour (wheat), liquid albumin (egg), vegetable oil, sugar, flavour.
In this example:
- Wheat protein is an inherent part of flour but is not a component. Since wheat is both a food allergen and gluten source it must be declared.
- Liquid albumin is an egg protein. As eggs are a food allergen, "egg" must be declared.
or
- (b) Immediately after the component that is shown in the list of ingredients, IF the food allergen or gluten is the component or is present in the component [B.01.010.1(8)(b), FDR].
For example: Ingredients list: pastry pieces [flour (wheat), butter (milk), liquid albumin (egg), canola oil], sugar, natural flavour.
In this example, as "pastry pieces" are not exempt from component declaration, its components must be declared. The required food allergen and gluten prescribed source names are declared in parentheses after the component in which they are present:
- Wheat is a part of flour;
- Butter is made from milk;
- Liquid albumin is an egg protein;
Option 2: The prescribed source name of a food allergen or gluten may be shown on the label of a product in a "contains" statement that complies with the naming and location restrictions outlined in B.01.010.3(1) of the FDR [B.01.010.1(9), FDR], IF the food allergen or gluten
- (a) Is, or is present in, an ingredient that is not shown in the list of ingredients, but is not a component of that ingredient or present in a component of that ingredient,
or
- (b) Is, or is present in, a component and neither the component nor the ingredient in which it is present is shown in the list of ingredients
For Wheat, you do not have to list both wheat and gluten in "Contains" statments. You would list "Contains Wheat".
Dear AA NNFF,
Thanks for the above. Presumably taken in part from -
http://www.inspectio...41?chap=5#s21c5
Must admit that it took me a while to work out that the fascinating definition given for gluten, viz [B.01.010.1(1), FDR] simply equals the subsequent text given in the link (as quoted in yr post).
(AFAIK, Gluten is a general name for a family of storage (don't ask :smile: ) proteins found in certain sources as you nicely describe.)
Have one comment to yr text -
Wheat is considered an allergen while Gluten is considered a sensitivity
Not sure if the above was a quote. The second half is perhaps slightly jumbled -
AFAIK, "Gluten sensitivity" does have a meaning, albeit a debated one, eg.compare -
http://en.wikipedia....ten_sensitivity
http://nymag.com/sci...out-gluten.html
https://www.coeliac....en-sensitivity/
Detailing / protecting consumers for potential hazards associated with this whole topic is undoubtedly a "challenge" from a labelling POV.
From memory, navigating the Canadian Labelling rules is like playing Snakes and Ladders due to the numerous updates / backdates and the sub-referencing techniques. The information provided is impressive but it sure takes some perseverance to get to it and then understand what it means.
FWIW, I noticed this 2013 document surveying the scene which illustrates the catch-up problem.
Canadian labelling food allergens.gluten,2013.pdf 587.8KB 22 downloads
Rgds / Charles.C
I have a question
We are a bakery located in the US, for purposes of simplification I will provide the following scenario.
We make two products
one plain bagel, ingredient wheat flour market canada
One plain bagel, ingredient with oats. market usa
Oats are included in the list of gluten sources in Canada, under B.01.010.1.
my production schedule indicates that I have to make a batch of plain bagel with oats for the usa market and immediately thereafter i have to make a plain bagel for the canada market.
Both products contain gluten from wheat. Is the oat considered an allergen in this case and require full wash down and dissasembly of the line?
I have a question
We are a bakery located in the US, for purposes of simplification I will provide the following scenario.
We make two products
one plain bagel, ingredient wheat flour market canada
One plain bagel, ingredient with oats. market usa
Oats are included in the list of gluten sources in Canada, under B.01.010.1.
my production schedule indicates that I have to make a batch of plain bagel with oats for the usa market and immediately thereafter i have to make a plain bagel for the canada market.
Both products contain gluten from wheat. Is the oat considered an allergen in this case and require full wash down and dissasembly of the line?
Hi Mikuna,
I'm unsure what you mean by "this" case ? I presume you refer to the Canada-destined item
I presume the oats added are not certified as gluten free or an equivalent property.
afaik, pure oats are gluten-free, ie not allergenic due to gluten, but are typically pre-contaminated with items such as rye, barley, wheat. The latter do have allergenic content.
I believe Canada has specific labelling options due unintentional contamination of a food with oats, eg precautionary labeling (PL), but the cfia document as quoted in post 17 is a hard read. I am unsure if the use of PL also mandates the cleaning step you refer. Over to the Canada experts.
(Note - if oats is an intentional ingredient it seems to require labelling due considered to be a potential gluten source. [As post 17/attachment post 18])
Hi Mikuna,
I'm unsure what you mean by "this" case ? I presume you refer to the Canada-destined item
I presume the oats added are not certified as gluten free or an equivalent property.
afaik, pure oats are gluten-free, ie not allergenic due to gluten, but are typically pre-contaminated with items such as rye, barley, wheat. The latter do have allergenic content.
I believe Canada has specific labelling options due unintentional contamination of a food with oats, eg precautionary labeling (PL), but the cfia document as quoted in post 17 is a hard read. I am unsure if the use of PL also mandates the cleaning step you refer. Over to the Canada experts.
(Note - if oats is an intentional ingredient it seems to require labelling due considered to be a potential gluten source. [As post 17/attachment post 18])
Dear Charles, thank you for the comment.
See, I would like to expand on my question. Canada has a list of "food allergens". the only sources of gluten are Wheat and triticale in the list. Gluten is not mentioned as "allergen", the food allergen is wheat and triticale.
Now, If I make bagels, made mainly with wheat and barley flour, clearly already have Gluten. In my allergen program, shall I control for items such as oats knowing that are a considered source of gluten in a product that already has gluten? It is not redundant? The Canadian regulation does not say, gluten from oats is different that gluten from wheat.
labeling is totally different situation, with that it is clear.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Here is a link to an industry labelling tool from CFIA, hopefully this helps to clarify
http://www.inspectio...9/1383607344939
It explains better what is required for allergy labelling as well as "cautionary" statements
Dear Charles, thank you for the comment.
See, I would like to expand on my question. Canada has a list of "food allergens". the only sources of gluten are Wheat and triticale in the list.
Gluten is not mentioned as "allergen", the food allergen is wheat and triticale.
"Food Allergen" can be a confusing / subjective terminology IMO. And similarly "gluten". Mixed in with intolerances and sensitivities.
Now, If I make bagels, made mainly with wheat and barley flour, clearly already have Gluten. In my allergen program, shall I control for items such as oats knowing that are a considered source of gluten in a product that already has gluten? It is not redundant? The Canadian regulation does not say, gluten from oats is different that gluten from wheat.
I assume yr allergen program is based on risk assessment. (Or perhaps has a scope defined by CFIA ?)
So how do you assess the (allergenic) risk from oats ?
labeling is totally different situation, with that it is clear.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Hi Mikuna,
Hope the above assists. i wish i was more an expert on CFIA's jungle of publications and terminologies.