The four common foods researchers want added to allergen list
Researchers warn of new wave of allergic reactions as diets change
- A new study recommends adding four emerging foods to the mandatory allergen risk list in the UK and EU due to increasing severe reactions.
- Goat's and sheep's milk, buckwheat, peas-lentil, and pine nuts are proposed for inclusion, alongside other foods of concern like kiwifruit and bee products.
- Between 2002 and 2023, the Allergy Vigilance Network recorded 413 severe reactions and two deaths in Europe linked to these newly identified allergens.
- Researchers attribute the rise in these allergies to changing dietary habits, such as increased consumption of plant-based foods and novel ingredients like pea protein.
- Allergy UK is stressing the importance of clear food labelling and urges the 21 million people in the UK with allergies to exercise caution.