What Are Major Food Allergens?While more than 160 foods can cause allergic reactions in people with food allergies, the law identifies the eight most common allergenic foods. These foods account for 90 percent of food allergic reactions, and are the food sources from which many other ingredients are derived. The eight foods identified by the law are
Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies in Schools and Early Care and Education ProgramsCDC in consultation with the U.S. Department of Education, several federal agencies, and many stakeholders, developed Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food AllergiesCdc-pdf [PDF – 10MB] to provide practical information and recommendations for each of the five priority areas that should be addressed in each school’s or ECE program’s Food Allergy Management Prevention Plan:
Ensure the daily management of food allergies in individual children.
Prepare for food allergy emergencies.
Provide professional development on food allergies for staff members.
Educate children and family members about food allergies.
Create and maintain a healthy and safe educational environment.
Persons may still be allergic to — and have serious reactions to — foods other than the eight foods identified by the law. So, always be sure to read the food label's ingredient list carefully to avoid the food allergens in question.
Symptoms of food allergies typically appear from within a few minutes to 2 hours after a person has eaten the food to which he or she is allergic. Allergic reactions can include:
The appearance of symptoms after eating food may be a sign of a food allergy. The food(s) that caused these symptoms should be avoided, and the affected person, should contact a doctor or health care provider for appropriate testing and evaluation.
Persons found to have a food allergy should be taught to read labels and avoid the offending foods. They should also be taught, in case of accidental ingestion, to recognize the early symptoms of an allergic reaction, and be properly educated on — and armed with — appropriate treatment measures.
Persons with a known food allergy who begin experiencing symptoms while, or after, eating a food should initiate treatment immediately, and go to a nearby emergency room if symptoms progress.