We are affiliated with the Canadian Celiac Association, our parent body, and share the same Mission and Vision statements. Click here for more information about us.
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Health Canada has proposed changes to the composition and labelling of beer products in Canada. The change will require beer manufacturer’s to declare any food allergens, gluten and sulphites on the product label. The celiac community is strongly encouraged to show its support for the proposed changes which will make it easier to identify safe food for consumption. See a sample response. Share with your family and friends.
We are pleased to announce that Allo Cuisto is the second Montreal area restaurant to get be certified gluten-free via the Gluten Free Food Program. This certification is the sign of assurance for people with celiac disease and gluten intolerance. They join Boris Bistro in being certified.
They are located at: 4279, Boul Saint-Jean, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec (514) 675-7722
Recently Pizza Pizza added cauliflower crust pizza to their menu and state that it is gluten-free: Pizza Pizza. They are the first Canadian pizza franchise to do so but likely others will follow given the interest in cauliflower crusts in the U.S. Have you tried it yet?
Interesting story suggests the reason cauliflower crust has become so popular can be traced back to someone looking for a gluten-free alternative: How cauliflower became pizza's hottest ingredient.
A note on “May Contain” labelling.
A large food retailer in Canada adds “May contain wheat” warnings to virtually all of its house brand products. Snack foods imported from some countries regularly list all 12 priority allergens on their ingredient lists. Products with a gluten-free claim also carry “may contain wheat” warnings (and this is encouraged by Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency). Almost all the ingredient labelling regulations in Canada are set by regulation but precautionary labels remain in the “optional” category. No wonder people are confused about the words “May contain”. See more...
Will their Canadian stores be next? Remember, just because it is gluten-free doesn't mean it is nutritious....
Together the Canadian Celiac Association and Dietitians of Canada have recently revised the gluten free diet handout in English and French. While there are not major changes there are some changes reflecting new labeling regulations for some ingredients added to products.
Bistro Boris at 465 McGill Street, Montreal recently received gluten free certification! Congratulations! Why not give them a try!
For more about the Gluten Free Food Program click here.
Celiac Disease Gluten Free Quebec
Disclaimer: Independently operated Facebook pages linked to the web site of the Canadian Celiac Association’s Quebec Chapter are administered by persons who do not represent the Canadian Celiac Association’s Quebec Chapter. See more....
Many restaurants are not following the requirements set forth by Health Canada and enforced by MAPAQ (in Quebec). Therefore if you’ve become ill at a restaurant that has made a GF claim, you are encouraged to file a complaint contact with MAPAQ at: 1 800 463-5023
Details can be found on the Restaurants Making a GF Claim page.
Celebrating Celiac Awareness Day May 16th 2018 in Montreal with tweets to create a shining crisscross of stars. Thanks to all who participated.
A recall has been added to the CFIA's Food Recall Report due to undeclared gluten in the Dhawaka brand product Choco Kids "Chocolat en poudre".
Product details are available here.
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The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) issues public advisories and email notifications for food recalls for all high-risk food recalls (mainly Class I) when the product is available for sale or could be in consumers’ homes.
All other recalls (Class II and III), and food products that are sold exclusively to restaurants, are posted on the CFIA’s Food Recall Report. Email notifications are also available for all allergen recalls.To sign up for food recall notifications, click here.
Food and consumer product recalls are also available at www.healthycanadians.gc.ca.
Practical Guide to Gluten-Related Disorders and the Gluten-Free Diet for residential care (It comes with a copy of the CCA Pocket Dictionary)
CCA Pocket Dictionary - Acceptability of Food and Food Ingredients for the Gluten-Free Diet
Gluten-Free - The Definitive Resource Guide by Shelley Case, Dietitian
*To order, please contact the Quebec chapter: info@celiacquebec.ca or (514) 893-9856
The CCA retracts its statement of October 20, 2017 and replaces it with this statement due to errors in the original statement.
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has made an announcement that the words "gluten-free" will be removed from all Cheerios packages sold in Canada by January 1, 2018. Please click here to read more.
A potential treatment for celiac disease has been approved for clinical trials. Click here to read the article.
We have just published the latest updates to our Gluten-Free Friendly Restaurant First-Step Guides. There are two guides - one for Montreal, Laval, and the Montérégie, and one for the other regions in the province. These are minor updates, with a small number of changes to each guide since our previous editions from October 1st, 2016.
To get these guides, go to the Restaurants page.
Whether you are travelling in one of the regions of Quebec, or simply want to go out to dinner for the evening, it can be a challenge to find a place where gluten-free dishes are available. These guides should be considered a first-step in helping you find a place where you can dine without worry. These guides do not replace the vigilance that any person who must dine gluten-free must have in order to dine safely.
Restaurants added:
Restaurants removed:
Following several months of research, discussions and consultations, the Canadian Celiac Association (CCA) is celebrating 2016 Celiac Disease Awareness Month with the unveiling of a detailed algorithm to be distributed to all family doctors across Canada. With awareness and understanding of celiac disease varying greatly within the medical community, the result until now has been a hodgepodge of treatment and follow-up plans that leads to confusion and, in many cases, continued illness and suffering.
The new best practices algorithm, developed by the CCA’s Professional Advisory Council, aims to bridge this gap by clearly outlining the diagnosis and follow-up regimen for a Canadian with celiac disease.
"We hear it all too often," says Anne Wraggett, president of the CCA. "Some doctors give the patient their diagnosis and simply send them on their way. Others recognize the need to monitor vitamin and mineral absorption levels, watch out for bone density problems, and be aware of the connection between celiac disease and other serious disorders such as type 1 diabetes and thyroid disease."
"This is all about creating a standardized regimen, based as much as possible on evidence-based medicine," adds Sue Newell, operations manager for the CCA. “We hope that this will lead to a consistent approach among all medical doctors, naturopathic doctors, gastroenterologists and other medical professionals. We need everyone 'singing from the same songbook' on this, so those diagnosed with celiac disease get the support
they need."
Medical professionals, patients and others can easily download the best practices algorithm from the CCA website (http://www.celiac.ca/?page_id=3835). Our popular website receives millions of hits each year and contains up-to- date scientific information and details of the CCA’s programs to support all Canadians with celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.
The Canadian Celiac Association is the national voice for the roughly two million Canadians who are adversely affected by gluten, and we are dedicated to improving diagnosis rates and quality of life.
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For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact the CCA at 1-800-363-7296 or info@celiac.ca.
Media contacts
Sue Newell, Operations Manager – 1-800-363-7296 / Sue.Newell@celiac.ca
Anne Wraggett, President – 1-800-363-7296
Website of the CCA: www.celiac.ca
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Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder in which the absorptive surface of the small intestine is damaged by gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. As a result, the body is unable to absorb nutrients such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals, which are necessary for good health. An estimated 1% of Canadians are affected by celiac disease, and an estimated additional 5% of Canadians suffer from non-celiac gluten sensitivity, which is an intolerance rather than anautoimmune disease but nevertheless requires a gluten-free diet.
Symptoms of celiac disease can include gastrointestinal distress, migraines, fatigue, extremely itchy skin rashes and more, or there may be no overt symptoms at all. For celiacs to continue to ingest gluten puts them at risk of serious associated medical conditions – such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, infertility and malnutrition.