Canada Gathers Food Allergy Data

TORONTOResearchers from two Canadian universities recently released findings from the countrys first-ever nationwide food-allergy survey. Results, as reported in the Toronto Star, show that about 1.70% of children under the age of 18 likely have a peanut allergy, while 1.59% likely have a tree-nut allergy.

In 2002, a similar study in the United States found that 0.83% of children have a peanut allergy and 0.51% have a tree-nut allergy. However, recentbut still incompleteAmerican research shows that those numbers are increasing.

One of the McGill University researchers who worked on the survey notes that North Americans tend to have a prevalence for peanut allergies, while Asians tend to have a prevalence for shellfish allergies.

The Canadian study, conducted between 2008 and 2009, was sponsored by Health Canada and AllerGen, and surveyed about 10,000 people. Officials hope to use the data to help identify resources for preventing, diagnosing and managing food allergies, as well as aiding in the development of policies related to preventing and managing anaphylaxis. The data might also help the food industry develop more-consistent, easier-to-understand product labels.