Imported Lagers

OTTAWA -Brewers have won their push -for now -to have beer exempt from new allergen food labelling legislation.

Federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced new label laws on Monday that would force food and beverage manufacturers to clearly declare allergens in the ingredient list on their products.

But the Brewers Association of Canada has maintained beer manufacturers would take a financial hit for something that affects only a fraction of the population.

Beer, which contains barley or wheat, can make people with a gluten intolerance sick.

“Canadians know there’s barley in beer,” said the industry group’s director of public relations, Andre Fortin. “They don’t need the government to tell them that.”

But Aglukkaq warned the door wasn’t shut on having beer companies adding allergen warnings on their labels, noting the government was still holding consultations on the matter.

The minister said she’d given brewers an extension so she could push ahead with the allergy labelling quickly, rather than wait to settle the issue with the beer lobby.

“This is about children, this is about allergies,” she said.

Canadians with allergies and celiac disease have been pressuring the feds to toughen laws so it’s easier for them to know they’re making safe food purchases .

“It’s habitual for us (to read food labels), but also absolutely necessary,” said Chris George, whose seven-year-old son David is severely allergic to nuts. About 2.8 millions Canadians -and increasingly children -have food allergies.

Under the new laws, food, beverage, and wine and spirits manufacturers will have to adopt standardized labels that note gluten and common allergens. So-called component ingredients, like spices or seasonings, will also list allergens, gluten or sulphites.

The industry has 18 months to implement the new labelling laws.

Foods most commonly linked to severe allergic reactions in Canada are eggs, milk, peanuts, seafood, sesame, soy, sulphites, tree nuts and wheat.