Milk in Canada: label rules and introduction guidance

Is milk on Canada's priority food allergen list?

Milk is a priority allergen in Canada and must be declared in the ingredient list or a 'Contains' statement. Health Canada's milk page says technical names for milk ingredients are not permitted without the word milk also appearing on the label, under the enhanced allergen labelling rules. It also says the proteins in cow's milk are very similar to those in milk from goats, sheep and other ruminants such as deer or buffalo, so a cow's milk allergy usually means avoiding those milks too unless an allergist says otherwise.

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: Milk, a priority food allergen

What CPS guidance says about introducing milk

The CPS lists cow's milk among the most common allergens in children. Its practice point says the evidence for early introduction is strongest for egg and peanut, and that there is an evidence gap for other allergenic foods, although some observational studies have supported early introduction of wheat and cow's milk products. Health Canada's infant nutrition guidance covers cow's milk as a drink separately, discussing its introduction at 9 to 12 months. If your baby reacts to a milk product, the CPS advises talking to your primary care provider.

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.

• Health Canada: Nutrition for Healthy Term Infants, 6 to 24 months
• Canadian Paediatric Society: Timing of introduction of allergenic solids for infants at high risk

Logging milk 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, milk appears as Milk. 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 it was yoghurt, cheese or milk cooked into food, so the record shows the form as well as the date. 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.