More than 160 foods have been found to cause allergies. Approximately 5 percent of young children and 4 percent of adults in the United States have a food allergy.
Here are the top eight food allergens identified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). If your child does have a food allergy, it's most likely to be to one or more of these. They account for 90 percent of food allergies in the United States.
- Tree nuts (e.g., almonds, walnuts, pecans)
- Shellfish (e.g., crab, lobster, shrimp)
Stefano Luccioli, M.D., senior medical advisor in the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) Office of Food Additive Safety (OFAS), says the lists of top allergens in other countries may differ because people eat different food. For example, Luccioli says, "In Europe there is a high prevalence of allergies to mustard and celery."
If think your child might have a food allergy, talk to your child's doctor. Learn more about kids and food allergies and how a food allergy is different from a food intolerance, such as lactose intolerance.