Many new regulations have increased the amount of food labeling in our daily lives, ranging from allergen warnings on labels to gluten or dairy free statements on packages and even menus at restaurants. Food allergies are on the rise, but why is that?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health Interview Survey conducted a study and found that in eighteen years (2000-2018), food allergies among children have doubled. This may be for a couple of reasons. One, much of this data is self-reported or parent reported, which means “about a third of us who say we have allergies have not actually had them confirmed by a doctor”. Some adverse food reactions may not have been an allergic reaction, but simply a bad reaction for another reason.
Another reason may be that many children are not exposed to allergens early enough to build up a tolerance for them. For example, in 2000, the American Academy of Pediatrics told parents to avoid exposing their children to peanuts until they were three years old. This is far too late to allow the immune system to build up tolerance. This theory also explains why children tend to have allergies to peanuts or milk while adults develop allergies to shellfish or tree nuts. Children are not exposed to foods like these until much later in life, which would explain why some adults suddenly develop an allergy.
Whatever the true reason may be, food allergies are here to stay.
Information from https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/09/08/real-reasons-food-allergies-are-rise/