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Food Bans, Allergies and Intolerances

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Peanuts: sanja gjeneroAn Angus Reid Survey by the Peanut Bureau of Canada has shown that many people are confused about food allergies and their causes.

Allergies are not as common as what people think because according to the survey only 2% of the adult population in Canada has actually been diagnosed with one.

  • At WebMD it says that 2 to 4% adults and 6 to 8% of children have food allergies.

Health Canada recognizes nine primary food allergens but most people only mentioned peanuts and milk.

Food Bans in Schools

I didn’t know this but there is no legislation in Canada to ban foods in schools. The reason I didn’t know this is that certain foods like peanuts are usually banned anyway. I do understand banning certain foods in a classroom if someone is severely allergic to them. Apparently, most experts don’t support bans but encourage education on allergies and having emergency plans in place.

The nine primary food allergens are:

  1. Peanuts
  2. Milk
  3. Wheat
  4. Sesames seeds
  5. Soy
  6. Tree nuts
  7. Fish and Shellfish
  8. Eggs
  9. Sulfites (preservatives)

Food allergies can cause your immune system to have a severe reaction so it’s important to be vigilant, pay attention to food labels and teach your children to do the same. Anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction that may include swelling and/or trouble breathing so can be life threatening.

An intolerance is not the same thing as an allergy although it can still cause severe problems. An example of a common food intolerance is lactose intolerance. About 10% of people are thought to be lactose intolerant.

Read “Is it an Allergy or Intolerance” for more. It’s still best to seek an allergist’s expert advice rather than try to self diagnose an allergy.


Posted in General, Nutrition/Food on March 26th, 2008

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