Research, measurements and practical guides on Canadian grocery labels, food allergens and product data — including the parts that didn't work.
This isn't a content-marketing blog. It's where we publish what we actually measured while building WellValet: database coverage numbers, the "may contain" labelling rules we had to reverse-engineer from CFIA guidance, and the allergen-matching edge cases that only show up once real Canadian shoppers start using the app. If a test came back worse than we expected, we say so — you'll find one below that does. For day-to-day how-to guides on scanning, allergens, and using WellValet, see our Resources guides instead; this page is the research and build notes behind them.
Our scan-and-curate feature is live: photograph an ingredient label once, and every future shopper who scans that barcode benefits. Here's how the loop actually works, and why most scans already succeed.
Read the post →Precautionary allergen statements like "may contain traces of peanut" are not required by law in Canada. Here's what CFIA guidance actually says, and how allergy families should read one.
Read the post →More than 3 million Canadians live with a food allergy, and 1-in-2 households are affected. Here's why the label alone isn't enough to protect them, and how WellValet checks a scanned product against your family's saved allergen profile in seconds.
Read the post →We assumed Open Food Facts had poor Canadian coverage and that we'd need to buy a commercial source. We were wrong — and the real problem turned out to be something else entirely. Full numbers, method, and the finding that reflects badly on our own app.
Read the research →