Federal government delays plan to shut down Quebec food allergy lab: union

Canadian Food Inspection Agency in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 26, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

OTTAWA — A union representing Canadian Food Inspection Agency employees says the federal government is delaying a plan to shutter a food allergy testing lab in Quebec by two years.

The Agriculture Union says the Longueuil laboratory in Quebec was set to cease operations at the end of April.

The union says the Canadian Food Inspection Agency now says it intends to shut the lab by 2028.

The Canadian Press has reached out to the agency for comment but has yet to receive a response.

Milton Dyck, national president of the Agriculture Union, says the decision is a “significant victory” for all Canadians who care about safe and healthy food, and especially anyone with a food allergy.

He says the Longueuil lab is the agency’s only lab capable of using advanced technology to verify nutrition labels and detect allergens and that it also tests shellfish for marine toxins.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2026.

Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press