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Food Allergen Facts

Being aware of the latest Food Allergy facts is crucial for compliance with the latest requirements, learn more with our FAQs below.

• Can adults develop food allergies?

  Most allergies affect young children under three but can also develop during adulthood, with the most common being cows’ milk, eggs, peanuts, soybeans, peas & chickpeas, tree nuts, shellfish and wheat. Allergies that develop during adulthood tend to be lifelong.

• Can food allergies be cured?

  There is no cure for allergies, though they can occasionally go away on their own. Food allergies can be treated to relieve the symptoms, usually through the use of antihistamines for mild to moderate reactions and adrenaline for severe reactions.

• What are common food allergy causes?

  A food allergy is caused by the body’s immune system treating harmless proteins as a potential threat and releasing chemicals, which cause an allergic reaction. Most of the typical symptoms are caused by histamine, like redness and swelling, itchiness and an increase in mucus in the lining of the nose.

• Do allergies get worse with age?

  There’s no simple answer to this, as some food allergies can go away on their own or develop in adulthood, while others can worsen over time, caused by repeated exposure to them. But each individual’s allergies and reactions to them are usually unique, so predicting what will happen is difficult.

• How do you know if you have a food allergy?

  The most common symptoms of food allergies include:

  • Feeling dizzy or lightheaded.
  • Itchy skin or a raised rash (hives).
  • Swelling of the lips, face and eyes (angioedema).
  • Coughing, wheezing, breathlessness, noisy breathing or a hoarse voice.
  • Sneezing, or an itchy, runny or blocked nose.
  • Feeling sick or being sick.
  • Stomach ache.
  • Diarrhoea.

• How do you prevent an allergic reaction?

  The only sure-fire way to stop having an allergic reaction to certain foods is to stop eating them and avoiding anything that contains them. This often means having to do a lot of research and asking questions before trying something new.

• How long does a food allergy reaction last?

  Food allergy reactions can vary in how long they take to start and how long they last, with most allergic reactions lasting no more than a couple of hours. Some can start within minutes of eating the food and others may occur days later, and in some cases, a biphasic reaction means that the symptoms can seem to start again up to four hours later.

• What are the 14 allergens covered by the Food Information Regulations?

  The 14 allergens covered by the Food Information Regulations are:

  • Celery
  • Cereals containing gluten – including wheat (such as spelt and Khorasan), rye, barley and oats (if the oats have been contaminated during the production process, gluten free oats are safe to eat for those with with coeliac disease)
  • Crustaceans such as prawns, crabs and lobsters. eggs
  • Fish
  • Lupin
  • Milk
  • Molluscs such as mussels and oysters
  • Mustard
  • Tree nuts including almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, cashews, pecans, pistachios and macadamia nuts
  • Peanuts
  • Sesame seeds
  • Soybeans
  • Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (if they are at a concentration of more than ten parts per million)

• What are the most common food allergies?

  Any food can cause an allergic reaction but in children, the most common foods include milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish.

• What are the most common food allergies in adults?

  In adults, the foods that most commonly cause a reaction are peanuts, walnuts, brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, apples, peaches, fish, crab, lobster and prawns.

• What is the best medicine for food allergies?

  Antihistamines are among the most popular treatment for minor food allergies.

• What is the best treatment for food allergies?

  The best course of treatment will depend on how severe the allergy is. Antihistamines are a popular treatment for minor food allergies. The best way to treat a severe allergy is to avoid the food that causes it.