HEALTH: Food Allergies

• The incidence of food allergies and serious allergic reactions appears to be on the rise in the U.S.
• Between 1997–2002, peanut allergies doubled in children.
• More than twelve million Americans have food allergies (that’s one in every twenty-five, or 4 percent of the total population).
• Ninety percent of all food-allergic reactions in the U.S. are related to milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, and pecans), wheat, soy, fish, or shellfish.
• No current cure exists for food allergies. Prevention of exposure to the food(s), early recognition, and management of allergic reactions are the only measures to prevent serious health consequences.
• Food allergy reactions result in about thirty thousand emergency room visits, and 150–200 deaths, annually in the U.S.

Web resources that can help:

• The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network
• Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
• Mayo Clinic