FSA highlights positive impact of new food anaphylaxis research

Article summary

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has shared a new study on hospital admissions due to food anaphylaxis in the UK between 1998–2018. The research funded by the FSA and conducted by scientists from the Imperial College London has revealed that cow’s milk is the allergen which caused the most fatal reactions in the past 20 years, followed by peanuts and tree nuts. The analysis of the data also demonstrates a decrease in the fatality rate of hospital admissions for food-induced anaphylaxis, passing from 0.7% in 1998 to 0.3% in 2018. The publication also provides information regarding the gender split of fatal allergic reactions. The FSA has highlighted that a better understanding of national data on anaphylaxis ‘is crucial to understanding the true state of play for those with a food allergy’.