Egg in Canada: label rules and introduction guidance

Is egg on Canada's priority food allergen list?

Eggs are one of Canada's priority allergens and must appear in the list of ingredients or in a 'Contains' statement immediately after it. Health Canada's egg page adds that the proteins in hen's eggs are very similar to those in eggs from ducks, geese, quails and other birds, so people allergic to hen's egg may react to those too and should check with an allergist. Since December 2021, any precautionary 'may contain egg' statement must appear only in that same spot after the ingredients.

Canada's priority food allergens are eggs, milk, mustard, peanuts, crustaceans and molluscs, fish, sesame seeds, soy, sulphites, tree nuts, and wheat and triticale. Under the enhanced labelling rules published in 2011, a prepackaged food must name each one by its common name in the list of ingredients or in a statement beginning with 'Contains'. Gluten sources (barley, oats, rye, triticale and wheat) are declared the same way. 'May contain' statements are voluntary, cannot be used when an allergen is added on purpose, and must follow the ingredients or 'Contains' statement.

• Canadian Food Inspection Agency: Food allergies and allergen labelling
• Health Canada: Common food allergens
• Health Canada: Eggs, a priority food allergen

What CPS guidance says about introducing egg

The CPS practice point cites a systematic review and meta-analysis finding moderate-certainty evidence that introducing egg between 4 and 6 months reduced egg allergy, and it summarises the PETIT and STEP trials, which gave egg powder to at-risk infants. For babies at high risk, it recommends considering common allergenic solids, egg included, at around 6 months but not before 4 months. If egg seems tolerated, the CPS advises offering it a few times a week to maintain tolerance. If you see a reaction, it suggests speaking to your primary care provider about next steps.

In Canada, allergen introduction guidance comes from the Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS). Its practice point for infants at high risk (2019, updated 2020) defines high risk as a personal history of eczema or other atopy, or a parent or sibling with an allergic condition. For those babies it recommends considering common allergenic solids at around 6 months but not before 4 months, guided by developmental readiness; for babies at low or no risk, it recommends complementary foods at about 6 months.

• Canadian Paediatric Society: Timing of introduction of allergenic solids for infants at high risk

Logging egg in the app

The app's region picker has no Canada option yet. The US schedule covers all nine allergens in these guides, and Canadian priority allergens outside it, such as mustard, can be added as foods in the diary. In the schedule, egg appears as Egg. Each allergen entry moves from not started to introduced, cleared or reaction, and the 14-day window keeps new foods spaced out so a delayed reaction is easier to match to a food. Note whether the egg was cooked through or baked into something, since your doctor may ask. If you see a symptom, log it with its severity; the paediatrician report gathers the dates into one PDF for your next appointment. It is a record for you and your doctor, not a diagnosis.