Important
Information for Canadians with Wheat Allergies
OTTAWA
- Health Canada is cautioning Canadians with severe wheat allergies that
other cereal grains, such as oats or barley, may contain low levels of
wheat because of the way these grains are grown and harvested.
While
most Canadians with wheat allergies only react to higher levels of
exposure, it is important for those sensitive to even small amounts of
wheat to pay special attention when reading ingredient labels. Children
with wheat allergies, in particular, are more prone to being sensitive to
low levels of wheat than allergic adults.
Cereal
grains are often grown close to other types of grain and are sometimes
harvested using the same equipment. Because of this, it is extremely
difficult to keep all traces of wheat from other cereal grains during
harvesting.
Because
only some consumers with wheat allergies would be affected by the presence
of these low levels of wheat in other cereal grains, allergic consumers
and parents of allergic children should discuss with their health care
provider before making any changes to their regular diet.
Canadians
with wheat allergies and who are sensitive to small amounts of wheat
should review labels of pre-packaged foods carefully and contact the
company to confirm if products containing other cereal grains might
contain traces of wheat. There are also products entering the market
containing grains such as “pure oats”, which are processed to avoid
the presence of wheat.
To
help consumers with these choices, Health Canada and the Canadian Food
Inspection Agency have advised food manufacturers facing this situation
that their labels should use a “may contain” statement to inform
consumers of the possible presence of low levels of wheat in their
products.
