FSA update - 6% of UK adults now have an allergy - here’s how Erudus can help…

The report, named the Patterns and Prevalence of Adult Food Allergy (PAFA), was taken out by the FSA as a large study into the prevalence of food allergies in the adult population in the UK.

Here’s a selection of the information they shared following the results:

• More than 30% of adults reported some types of adverse reactions when eating food (defined as them saying they experienced an illness or trouble when eating a particular food)
• Around 6% of the UK adult population are estimated to have a clinically confirmed food allergy
• This 6% equates to around 2.4 million adults in the UK
• Peanuts and (Tree) Nuts (which include hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds) were listed as the foods most likely to cause an allergic reaction
• A large number of individuals also had allergies to fresh fruits such as apple, peach and kiwis. These were associated with allergies to birch pollen, also known as pollen-food allergy syndrome or oral allergy syndrome
• Milk, Fish, Crustaceans and Molluscs, though still major food allergens, were less common allergies among those people who featured in the report
• Childhood food allergies commonly persist and increase into early adulthood
• Around half of food allergies develop in later adulthood

Here is what Professor Robin May, Chief Scientific Advisor at the Food Standards Agency, had to say about the PAFA report and its results:

“The PAFA report is significant in helping us identify how food allergies evolve between childhood and adulthood, as well as providing vital insights into links between certain types of foods and the persistence of allergies into adulthood.
Through this research, we can see patterns such as the emergence of plant-based allergies affecting more people into adulthood which is important for us to consider as we’ve seen the food system move towards plant-based diets and alternative proteins.
The Food Standards Agency remains committed to ensuring that consumers have clear and accurate allergen labelling to support people in the UK living with a food allergy. This report will help guide our future work on allergens to ensure everyone can enjoy food that is safe.”

You can read the full Patterns and Prevalence of Adult Food Allergy report here.

Here at Erudus, food allergens, and specifically food allergen information for products being widely and easily accessible to everyone who needs to see it, is one of our core priorities.

That’s why we compiled in-depth studies into each of the 14 major food allergens, including what names to look out for on food labels, the surprising foods in which they might be found, and the best alternatives for them.

You can read them all here:

• Celery allergy deep dive
• Cereals containing Gluten allergy deep dive
• Crustaceans allergy deep dive
• Eggs allergy deep dive
• Fish allergy deep dive
• Lupin allergy deep dive
• Milk allergy deep dive
• Molluscs allergy deep dive
• Mustard allergy deep dive
• (Tree) Nuts allergy deep dive
• Peanuts allergy deep dive
• Sesame allergy deep dive
• Soya allergy deep dive
• Sulphur Dioxide allergy deep dive

We also put together this handy guide to the difference between an allergy and an intolerance.

And did you know that if you have an allergy to a particular food there may be other foods with a similar profile that trigger cross-reactivity? We have a list of them here.

We’ve also rounded up a list of the symptoms to an allergic reaction, how to treat them and how to treat an allergy in the wider context.

Additionally, Erudus now offers Product Change Alerts - so Erudus users will know instantly any time the allergen content of a product on our platform has changed. You can find out more about Product Change Alerts and how to turn them on here.