Read about the landmark new Senate Bill S-247: An Act to establish a national framework on food allergy. Plus learn about the major step forward on global “may contain” guidelines with the Codex Committee on Food Labelling, and discover the highlights from the Anaphylaxis Summit. Discover our efforts to advance allergen awareness in foodservice, learn about a new study on food allergy in childhood and eating behaviour in adolescence, participate in a global study on psychological support, and check out our mythbuster on the inability to “cook” allergens out of a food.
Advocacy in action: New Senate of Canada Bill S-247: An Act to establish a national framework on food allergy
We welcome the introduction of a new Senate bill that represents a major step toward the development of Canada’s first national food allergy framework.
Thank you to Senator Andrew Cardozo for bringing this important bill forward. We are urging senators to support this landmark legislation, which has the potential to reduce the impact of food allergy and improve the quality of life for the more than 3 million Canadians living with food allergy.
As we mark our 25th anniversary, this moment reflects decades of advocacy to elevate food allergy as a public health priority and to advance more coordinated, system-level solutions. The introduction of this bill is an important step forward in that work.
The proposed legislation sets out a coordinated approach to:
- Reduce the prevalence and risk of food allergy
- Improve access to timely diagnosis and evidence-based care
- Strengthen education and awareness
- Enhance safety and quality of life
Decades of research have given us the knowledge to better prevent and manage food allergy. The challenge has been turning that knowledge into consistent action. This bill is an important step toward closing those gaps.
We also extend our appreciation to Senator Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia and MP Ben Lobb for their contributions to moving this issue forward and Heidi Hauver and her son Sullivan, for joining us in Ottawa to share their journey with food allergy.
We will continue engaging with senators as this bill moves forward and we will invite you to add your voice in support as advocacy efforts progress. Your voice will be an important part of helping advance this legislation, and we will share opportunities to get involved.
Advocacy in action: Major step forward on global “may contain” guidelines
For people with food allergy, “may contain” statements (precautionary allergen labelling (PAL)) plays an important role in making informed food choices. Yet these statements are not specifically regulated in Canada, and there is no globally consistent approach to when or how they should be used. As a result, consumers are often left to navigate uncertainty when assessing the safety of food products.
Last month, an important step was taken toward addressing this issue. Canada hosted a meeting for the Codex Committee on Food Labelling (CCFL), where delegates from around the world worked to advance international guidance on PAL. Codex Alimentarius (Codex), a joint initiative of the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, develops internationally recognized food standards, guidelines, and codes of practice that help protect consumer health and support fair food trade. While Codex standards are not regulations themselves, they can serve as the foundation for national regulatory frameworks.
At the meeting, the proposed PAL guidelines advanced to the final stage of approval and will be presented to the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) for final global adoption this summer.
This is a significant milestone. For millions of people living with food allergy, clearer and more consistent allergen labelling can help improve confidence in food choices, increase trust in labelling practices, and reduce unnecessary restrictions while maintaining safety.
As part of the Canadian delegation, our Director of Food Safety & Regulatory Affairs, Beatrice Povolo, contributed to these important international discussions, helping to ensure that the perspectives and needs of the food allergy community were represented as the guidance moved forward.
We extend our gratitude to CCFL Chairperson Parthiban Muthukumarasamy and the Canadian delegation, led by Jodi White and Michael Abbott, for their leadership and commitment to strengthening food labelling standards in Canada and globally.
This achievement reflects several years of advocacy and collaboration to improve allergen risk management and PAL around the world. We look forward to continuing our work with partners in Canada and internationally to support broad adoption of this guidance and help build a future where individuals with food allergy can have greater confidence in the information provided on food labels.
This progress demonstrates how sustained advocacy can drive meaningful change — helping to create a safer food environment for the food allergy community.
Advocacy in action: Advancing emergency preparedness: access to life-saving epinephrine
On April 30th, we participated in the Anaphylaxis Summit that was held in Ontario, where clinicians, researchers, first responders, community members, advocates, and policymakers came together to discuss how to strengthen anaphylaxis prevention, preparedness, and emergency response across Canada.
One message was clear: timely access to epinephrine devices saves lives. Yet in many public settings, access remains inconsistent — creating critical gaps when every second counts.
That’s why we continue to advocate for stock epinephrine — epinephrine devices that are not prescribed to a specific individual but are available for use in an emergency.
Enabling stock epinephrine in public spaces would help ensure faster, more effective responses to life-threatening allergic reactions. Moving this forward requires:
- Clear policy frameworks
- Practical implementation guidance
- Cross-sector collaboration
We were encouraged to see policymakers engaged in this conversation and will continue pushing for progress. A special thank you to MPP Laura Smith and MLA Hon. Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk for taking part and engaging on issues that directly impact Canadians at risk of anaphylaxis.
We are continuing to advance meaningful change through advocacy, collaboration, and sustained engagement with policymakers and partners across Canada.
Advocacy in action: Progressing allergen awareness in foodservice
Over the last two months, we expanded our Informed Dining pilot project to include Public Health Inspectors from Southwestern Public Health Unit and Huron Perth Public Health Unit to enhance food allergy education within foodservice.
This initiative enables public health inspectors to raise awareness about food allergy during routine restaurant inspections by sharing our Think Food Allergy resources. Through training by Food Allergy Canada on allergen management and communication, inspectors are now more equipped to guide food businesses in creating safer dining experiences. Throughout 2026, we plan to engage more health units to implement similar initiatives.
We thank these public health units for being leaders in this effort, making a meaningful impact on allergen awareness in local restaurants. We are excited for the broader industry influence and future expansion of this initiative!
We also attended three major conferences in the foodservice sector, connecting with hundreds of restaurant operators across the country. We highlighted the importance of allergen management processes and shared our research articles, Recipe for Success (our industry report on food allergy within the foodservice sector), and Think Food Allergy resources to help translate food allergy awareness into practical action.
We’re continuing to spark meaningful conversations and strengthen awareness across the foodservice and public health communities, helping to create safer environments for all.
Research: Encouraging results about food allergy in childhood and eating behaviour in adolescence
Many parents worry about how food allergy might affect their child’s relationship with food as they grow up. Will avoiding foods lead to anxiety around eating? Could it affect their eating habits later in life?
A new study may offer some reassurance. Researchers analyzed data from a cohort of the nearly 4,000 children they followed from birth into adolescence. They found that those who had food allergy in childhood did not seem to experience more eating-related problems than their peers. In fact, they reported greater enjoyment of food and were less likely to let emotions affect their eating habits.
This is encouraging news that may help reassure families: While every child’s experience is different, these findings suggest that food allergy does not necessarily have a negative impact on a child’s eating behaviours as they grow up.
Participate in research: Help evaluate a new online support tool for managing food allergy anxiety
Researchers are inviting adults with food allergy and parents/caregivers of children with food allergy to participate in a global study evaluating FACETS (Food Allergy Coping Empowerment Tools and Support), a new online support tool designed to help people better manage the emotional challenges of living with food allergy.
Participants will have the opportunity to access the tool, which includes practical information, activities, and strategies focused on topics such as managing anxiety, building confidence, and communicating about food allergy.
Researchers will also ask participants to complete assessments over the course of the study to understand how well the tool works, making this a longer-term commitment.
By taking part, you may gain access to resources that could help you or your family navigate the day-to-day challenges of living with food allergy, while also helping researchers develop much-needed psychological support tools for the food allergy community.
Learn more about the study and participation requirements below.
Mythbuster: Will cooking a food at high temperature will kill the protein so I won’t be allergic to it?
FACT: Cooking, even with high heat and other methods of food processing, does not reliably destroy food allergens, and doesn’t ensure safety for people with food allergies.
Foods are complex mixtures, and how they respond to heat is not always predictable. This also varies depending on the allergen. For example, certain people with milk and egg allergy can consume baked egg and baked milk safely when these allergens are partly destroyed by heating. But only some people with an allergy can tolerate cooked egg or milk (speak to your allergist about whether trying baked milk or egg is right for you). Other allergens, such as peanut, are not affected by heat for anyone with that allergy.
Bottom line: You can’t cook all the allergens out of a food.
Learn more
Help us educate your communities and share this mythbuster with them! Find more mythbusters at foodallergycanada.ca/mythbusters.