Food allergy and intolerance research
The Food Allergy and Intolerance Research Programme aims to investigate the causes and mechanisms underlying food allergy and intolerance. The programme is currently funding research under a number of key themes of work (as outlined below).
Major aims include facilitating the development of allergen management thresholds for use by industry and regulators and identifying risk factors associated with the development of food allergy so that appropriate information can be provided for consumers. In addition the programme also focuses on understanding consumer attitudes to food allergy and intolerance and its labelling.
- Development of management thresholds for allergenic foods
- Route and timing of exposure to food allergens in early life
- Immunological aspects of food allergy
- Prevalence and characteristics of food allergy and intolerance
- Food allergen labelling and consumer choice research
- Evaluation of FSA allergy guidance
- More about the allergy research programme
Route and timing of exposure to food allergens in early life
- Importance of skin exposure to allergens in the development of food allergy (ongoing)
- EAT Study: early introduction of allergenic foods to induce tolerance (ongoing)
- Literature review early exposure to food allergens and development of food allergy
- Peanut allergy: routes of pre-natal and post-natal exposure
Prevalence and characteristics of food allergy and intolerance
- Prevalence of food allergy and weaning practices in a birth cohort of UK infants
- Prevalence of peanut allergy in British children at school entry age in 2003
- Trends of peanut allergy incidence in England using sequential childhood cohorts
- Characteristics of kiwi fruit allergy
- Prevalence and incidence of food allergies and food intolerance
- Factors influencing the susceptibility to, and characteristics of kiwi fruit allergy
Food allergen labelling and consumer choice research
- Consumer understanding of labelling term 'No gluten-containing ingredients'
- Understanding of labelling terms 'Lactose free', 'Milk free' or 'Dairy free'
- Testing of government advice on peanut consumption during early life
- Consumer understanding of labelling terms for foods marketed for gluten-free diet
- Literature review of the nutritional adequacy of a typical gluten-free diet
- Understanding the food choice of nut allergic consumers
- Baseline study to investigate the provision of allergy information for foods sold loose (ongoing)
