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Eight types of food account for 90% of all food allergies: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soya and wheat.
Reactions to these foods by an allergic person can range from a tingling sensation around the mouth and lips, to hives and even death, depending on the severity of the reaction.
Milk allergy is the most common allergen affecting 2-4% of children, followed by egg, nuts and peanuts, soya and gluten.
Statistics vary on the exact number of children suffering form food allergies as can be seen in the table below.
| Netherlands (by Nederlands Anafylaxis Netwerk) |
In the Netherlands, approximately 800,000 people suffer from food allergies. |
| Germany (by Deutscher Allergie- und Asthmabund e.V.) |
The prevalence in children is 3 percent to 6 percent, but can be up to 30 percent in high-risk groups, such as children with eczema. |
| Canada (by Anaphylaxis Canada and Association Quebecoise des Allergies Alimentaires) |
3 percent to 4 percent of the general population and 6 percent to 8 percent of children suffer from food allergies. |
| Greece (by www.iatronet.gr/) |
About 6% -8% of infants and young children and approximately 4% of adults have an allergy to some food. |
| Italy (by Food Allergy Italia) |
An estimated 6 to 8% of the Italian population has food allergies. |
| Australia (by Anaphylaxis Australia) |
Today one in 20 Australian children suffer from a potentially fatal food allergy with the main offenders being everyday foods like eggs, peanuts, milk and fish. There has been a sharp increase in allergies over the past ten years. |
| Sweden (by Central Statistics bureau) |
A [tenth] of all children in Sweden, in total roughly [132 000] children aged between 3 and 15 years, have some problem with [food] allergies. |
Source: Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Alliance on Food Allergy Around the World and other sources facts. |
Food Allergies 