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Allergy sufferers will have a clearer indication whether prepackaged foods contain such ingredients as peanuts, milk, eggs, wheat and shellfish under new labelling requirements unveiled Wednesday by the federal government.

The announcement, made by Health Minister Tony Clement, comes after extensive lobbying from food-allergy groups. Mr. Clement said the more stringent regulations represent an important step forward, adding that, for some Canadians, allergen information can be “a matter of life or death.”

“We know that allergy associations across the country have been asking very patiently – but quite insistently – for these changes, and that the food industry has expressed its support to the general principles behind this proposal as well,” he said.

Current regulations require producers to list ingredients on the labels of most prepackaged foods. However, components of certain ingredients are still exempted. The new regulations will require those components to be listed in the cases of several allergens. Mr. Clement pointed to the example of foods that contain “spice,” which under the new rules will have to include a mention of any potential allergen it contains.

Charles Frankish, president of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, said the regulations will help lower the number of emergency-room visits related to food allergies. He could not offer statistics on how many such visits there are.

It is estimated that about 3 to 4 per cent of Canadian adults and about 6 per cent of children suffer from food allergies. Ottawa is framing its new food labelling regulations as a move aimed primarily at protecting children.

However, the new regulations will not address a common complaint made by those who suffer from food allergies: Producers can still use the phrase “may contain” in their labels when referring to such allergens as nuts that may be unintentionally present.

The federal government has made a number of food-related announcements recently. Last week, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced that new labelling guidelines will come into effect at the end of this year, requiring that both the contents and processing of foods be Canadian in order to qualify for the “Product of Canada” label.

Health Canada also announced Wednesday the launch of several allergy studies, including a large-scale national study of food-allergy prevalence and two studies on the dietary habits of people with celiac disease, more commonly known as gluten intolerance.

At Wednesday's news conference, Mr. Clement also faced questions about a major Health Canada report that warns of the harmful impact of climate change on the health of Canadians.

The Globe and Mail reported Wednesday that the report, which is more than 500 pages long, has been ready for months, but that Ottawa was planning a low-key media release with little fanfare.

Mr. Clement said the government has not yet approved a communication strategy for the report, but that the government does want to get it out to the public. He added that he has not yet read the report.