Food allergy conference report

A joint national conference by the Food Standards Agency and the Anaphylaxis Campaign was held in the UK earlier this year to communicate the science of food allergy. A report on the conference was published in the latest newsletter of the Food Standards Agency.

One of the key messages reported from the conference is that scientists need to be honest about allergy, and if they do not know all of the answers they should explain why there is uncertainty. Another key theme that arose was that there is no 'one-message-fits-all' on allergy.

Two keynote speakers, Professor Ian Kimber from the University of Manchester, and Professor Gideon Lack from King's College London, addressed current areas of uncertainty with regard to the mechanisms involved in the development of food allergy.

Professor Kimber cited six key areas of uncertainty in this area:

• Does allergenic sensitisation to food proteins necessarily result from dietary exposure?
• Does early exposure to allergenic food proteins promote or inhibit the development of sensitization and allergy?
• Why is it possible to tolerate exposure to food allergens, despite having significant levels of specific antibodies?
• What factors influence the severity of food allergic reactions?
• Why are some food proteins allergenic when others aren't?
• Is it possible to identify thresholds of exposure to allergenic foods that are required for sensitisation and allergic reaction?

The presentation by Professor Lack focused on determining the ideal age at which to introduce allergenic foods into an infant's diet. Work in this area is continuing, with the Food Standards Agency funding some of the research programs that currently underway.

A panel debate discussed the broad science communication issues, such as the role of the media in building consumer trust and more specific questions relating to current advice on food allergy, such as how to effectively communicate possible cross-contamination risks on food labelling.

The full conference report can be accessed via the Food Standards Agency website. [PDF 2.1 MB]