A Washing Post article I found goes into the details of why so many more people seem to have food allergies now than in past years. To begin, most data is self-reported (or parent-reported), meaning that we do not know how many people actually have the allergies that they say they have. It is found that “more than 3 percentage points more likely to report and allergy than to report receiving a professional diagnosis”. With this type of data it is already difficult to get accurate results because about a third of people may not have the allergy they say they have.
Understanding if we have an allergy to a food is typically made by our bodies response to the food. An upset stomach, GI issues, itching, and swelling, can all be symptoms of an immune response to a food allergy. But, there could be additional reasons of these symptoms occurring that would not be the food itself.
Another reason more people have allergies to food is their environment and their access to main allergen foods, especially important for children. Inequalities in U.S. housing can lead to children being exposed to more or less allergens that can help build up a tolerance to allergens. Finally, patents are trying to protect their children and in doing so, they do not expose their children to allergens early enough. This leads to these children not having a strong enough immune system to build up a tolerance and they tend to become allergic to more foods.
In summary, there are many reasons why more people are becoming allergic to foods, but at the same time people may think they are allergic and typically are not
Article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/09/08/real-reasons-food-allergies-are-rise/