Open for signatureElectronice-7752 · Parliament 45

Close food labeling loophole

Sign on the House of Commons website

Petitioners ask Health Canada to close the component‑ingredient loophole in the Food and Drug Regulations by requiring declaration of all sub‑ingredients including colours and annatto, add front‑of‑pack colourant warnings, and harmonize with EU standards.

Why we would sign this petition

  • It would force manufacturers to declare sub‑ingredients and additives, helping parents and allergic consumers identify and avoid hidden triggers.
  • Clear front‑of‑pack warnings for artificial colours (including annatto) would make purchasing faster and safer for vulnerable consumers and caretakers.
  • Aligning Canadian rules with the EU could increase transparency and reduce differences in product formulations sold domestically versus abroad.

Why we wouldn’t sign this petition

  • Requiring full sub‑ingredient disclosure could impose significant costs and formulation changes on food manufacturers, potentially raising prices or complicating supply chains.
  • Broad mandatory warnings and listings may be more burdensome than targeted measures such as expanding the priority allergen list or improving existing 'may contain' rules.
  • Harmonizing with EU standards may be legally and administratively complex and may not fit Canada's specific regulatory or market context.

The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons Canadian food labeling regulations currently contain a major loophole regarding "component ingredients," which allows secondary ingredients (such as annatto or artificial food colourings) to remain hidden from consumers if they are part of a standardized pre-made component (such as "cheddar cheese" or processed meats); Tens of thousands of Canadian children suffer from severe allergic reactions, behavioral issues, and food intolerances tied directly to artificial food colourings and natural colorants like annatto; The European Union (EU) successfully enforces a "Zero Loopholes" policy requiring every single food additive to be explicitly declared, forcing multinational corporations to manufacture cleaner, safer versions of their products for European store shelves while continuing to sell chemically altered, poorly labeled versions to Canadian families; and Thirteen-year-olds and vulnerable consumers should not be required to possess advanced degrees in food science or reverse-engineer ingredient lists simply to eat safely. We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to: 1. Direct Health Canada to immediately amend the Food and Drug Regulations to close the component ingredient loophole, making it mandatory for all food manufacturers to explicitly list all sub-ingredients, colours, and additives used within a component; 2. Expand the Priority Allergen List or establish a secondary mandatory disclosure framework (similar to "May Contain" declarations) that requires clear, plain-language front-of-package warnings for artificial food colourings and common triggering colourants like annatto; and 3. Harmonize Canadian food safety and transparency standards with the European Union to ensure Canadian children receive the same health protections and ingredient honesty as children overseas.

Government response

No government response is available yet.