If you believe a product was not labelled properly or had an allergic reaction from a product that may have contained one of Canada’s priority food allergens, but it was not listed on the ingredient list, you can report the incident to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA).
What to do
- Save the packaging and a sample of the product, or any unopened product with the same lot number.
- Contact the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). They have an online form you can complete. Your submission will be referred to an inspector for follow up.
- Keep a record of your emails and calls with CFIA – note the date and time, name of the person you spoke to, and what they said.
- Send a copy of your final correspondence with the CFIA to Food Allergy Canada by email at info@foodallergycanada.ca.
- Contact your allergist for follow up on your reaction.
What will the CFIA do
Food labelling concern
- The CFIA takes food safety and labelling seriously. They may examine your product and record the lot/batch number on the package. This number identifies a specific plant (factory) and production date and time.
- The CFIA may visit the plant to inspect the facilities and the product made, according to the batch number. If a labelling error has occurred, the product may be recalled.
- Refer to the CFIA’s Food Safety and Recall Process section on their website to review their process.
Restaurant/foodservice concern
- Restaurant and foodservice inspection is carried out by provincial governments, municipalities, and regional health authorities.
- They inspect facilities to verify that safe food-handling practices are being followed.
Getting the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s (CFIA) action on undeclared allergens: Sarah’s story
Find out how the CFIA took action when Sarah, a parent of a child with food allergy, contacted them about undeclared allergens. With this video, you’ll hear firsthand what the process was like, and how this experience influenced her confidence in the CFIA’s reporting process.