OTTAWA — Allergy and health groups are asking the Conservative government to press ahead with new food-labelling regulations even as the beer industry asks to pull out of them.

The proposed regulations, published July 2008, would require manufacturers and importers to clearly note potential allergens on labels -- an important indication for those with serious or life-threatening allergies.

In an open letter to the prime minister this week, those fighting for the new regulations questioned the position of brewers who are asking for an exemption.

"Our organizations remain, as we always have, willing to listen," the letter said.

"What we are not prepared to do, prime minister, is let this once-in-a-generation opportunity be put at risk because of the last minute interventions of a powerful, private, industry lobby."

The letter was signed by eight organizations, including Anaphylaxis Canada, the Canadian Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Foundation and the Canadian Celiac Association.

New labels would have to list any of 10 priority allergens outlined by Health Canada, such as milk, eggs or shellfish, gluten sources, and sulphites, all over 10 parts per million.

The declaration statement would read: "Allergy and Intolerance Information -- Contains: ..."

But brewers say people with celiac disease, who are most concerned with gluten content, already know they can't drink beer.

"We believe that people with celiac disease are very educated on the issue," said Andre Fortin, spokesman for Brewers Association of Canada.

"They already know what they can and can not have."

Jim McCarthy, executive director of the Canadian Celiac Association, said the assumption that celiacs should know the contents of brewers' products is incorrect.

"It is not logical to believe everybody understands what's in beer," McCarthy said.

And while it may be clear to some that beer contains cereal grains such as barley, he said, specialty beers from microbreweries are infused with other ingredients of concern, including nuts and milk products.

But Fortin said under the current Food and Drug Regulations, beer is defined as containing certain key ingredients, including barley.

And any non-standardized ingredients in specialty beers, such as chocolate stouts or coffee porters, are already listing ingredients, he said.

He added that the cost implications are high for small breweries that use recycled bottles.

"It would be quite an issue to change their bottles," Fortin said, with some companies recycling bottles up to 20 times.

Derek Nighbor, spokesman for the private-sector group Food and Consumer Products of Canada, said the organization is happy to move ahead with the new regulations.

"We are supportive of where the government is going in this area," Nighbor said. "This is about respecting food safety."

"Our customers want this," he said.

Once new regulations are published, Health Canada says, manufacturers and importers will have a year to implement the new labels.

Nighbor said the one-year deadline could pose challenges for businesses.

"In order to do that right, we would need 18 months," he said.

Laurie Harada, executive director of Anaphylaxis Canada, said no one should be exempt from the new regulations.

"The question for us is: Why would one industry be exempt when the spirit of the regulation is closing loopholes?" she said. "It just does not seem acceptable to us."

She said there's a concern about getting the regulations approved before any spring election.

In a Jan. 20 letter to Harada and the other advocate groups, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said she remains committed to publishing the new regulations early this year though it's not clear yet if that will include an exemption for brewers.