Although only about 2.6 percent of Americans (or 7.6 million people) suffer from food allergies, reports the National Institutes of Health, there is evidence that specific demographics may be at greater risk. Factors behind these age, ethnicity and gender discrepancies are not clear yet to researchers, but they have drawn a correlation between food allergy sufferers and asthma attacks. In fact, asthma patients with food allergies are seven times more likely to suffer an attack then those without a food allergy.
- Children ages 1 to 5 have the highest rates of food allergies, at 4.2%
- Of this percentage, 1.8% of children suffer from peanut allergies, compared to 2.7% of children between the ages of 6 and 19 that have such an allergy
- Adults over 60 are the lowest allergy sufferers, with food allergies affecting only 1.3 percent of this age group
- Black male children are 4.4 times more likely then the general population to develop a food allergy
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.