Food Allergies Affect 11 Million

Fish and shellfish, not peanuts, most common allergy problem

By Scott Hume, Executive Managing Editor -- Restaurants & Institutions, 5/1/2004

Food Allergy Awareness Week is observed May 9-15 this year, and new research finds that there is even more about which foodservice operators need to be knowledgeable than was previously known.

A study released in March at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology’s annual conference indicates that food allergies are more pervasive than had been thought. About 11 million Americans can suffer possibly life-threatening reactions to consumption of certain foods. Peanut allergies have received much media attention in the past, leading many airlines to switch to pretzels as in-flight snacks. However, the new study notes that while 3 million Americans do have peanut and tree-nut allergies, 6.5 million people have allergies to shellfish (about 1 in every 50 Americans), fish (1 in 250) or both.

Dining away from home poses potential danger for people with food allergies unless they can be certain of ingredients and that cross-contamination of foods is avoided.

“The foodservice industry has been very responsive on this issue, but there still is room for improvement,” says Anne Munoz-Furlong, founder and CEO of Fairfax, Va.-based Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), an advocacy group and a sponsor of the allergy research. “An important finding of the study was the large number of people with seafood allergies, twice that for peanuts. So it’s no longer enough for a restaurant to say, ‘We don’t serve peanuts; we’re fine.”

She advises foodservice operators to follow these four basic steps:

“We’re talking about a minimal training expense,” says Munoz-Furlong. “And the odds are that you’re going to get a person with food allergies in your restaurant. Does an operator really want an ambulance arriving on a busy Saturday night?”

FAAN also works with school and college foodservice organizations to develop allergy-awareness plans. “But the best-laid plan falls apart if foodservice staff don’t understand what can happen if, say, you sprinkle nuts on a sundae without asking,” she says.

More information on accommodating diners with food allergies can be found on FAAN’s Web site, www.foodallergy.org.