Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank hon. members who have intervened on this bill. They have expressed some very valid concerns and have raised some very important issues.
I have to ask myself whether there is a perception out there that Health Canada and the Minister of Health are doing nothing. If that is a perception that somehow members and their constituents are labouring under, then perhaps we should dismiss that.
What we want to do is take the opportunity to review some of the activities of the health protection branch of Health Canada and of the Canadian food industry in addressing the problems of food allergies. Health Canada is concerned about food sensitivities, as I believe we all are.
Several years ago the department embarked on a national program of public education on the issue. The program includes issuing information on food allergies through various channels such as the medical profession, the provincial ministries of health and education.
Health Canada has also recognized the importance of consumer education in dealing with allergies and has produced fact sheets on sulphites and monosodium glutamate, known as MSG. These fact sheets are available to the food industry and to consumers. They provide information on what these substances are, why they can be a problem for some people and how consumers can avoid these substances. As I say, they are available to everybody, people in the industry, in restaurants and consumers.
Representatives of Health Canada have consulted with organizations such as the Allergy-Asthma Information Association and the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology to obtain their input on the extent of the problem of adverse reactions related to food.
Based on the results of these meetings, allergens associated with frequent or severe adverse reactions were identified. Representatives of the health protection branch at Health Canada have consulted with representatives of the food industry and the food service industry about implementing a mechanism to supply the consumer with information on the presence of reaction causing substances.
The seriousness of the problem of adverse reactions was quickly grasped by the food service industry and it began to develop a comprehensive plan to address this issue among its membership. In fact, in November 1991 the Canadian Restaurant and Food Services Association introduced a voluntary program entitled "Allergy Aware". In this program the participating outlets displayed an "Allergy Aware" symbol in their windows and a poster inside the facility explaining the program.