Recognition of nuts is lacking among allergic consumers

The 2010 Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (ACAAI) took place November 11 to 16 in Phoenix and attracted over 3,000 participants from around the world. Many of the presentations at the meeting focused on food allergies. One study that gained much media attention reported that only half of people with peanut or tree nut allergies know what the nut they are allergic to looks like.

The study's authors created a display that included peanuts and nine tree nuts represented in 19 different forms. Over 1,100 participants aged 6 years or older completed a worksheet to name the items. Responses were analyzed based on demographics, presence or absence of food allergies, and occupational history.

The mean number of peanuts and tree nuts identified by all subjects was 8.4 out of a possible 19. Only twenty-one participants (2%) correctly identified all 19 items. The mean for children ages 6-18 was 4.6 compared with 11.1 for adults older than 18. Twenty-seven participants identified themselves as having a peanut or tree nut allergy, and this group achieved a mean number of correct responses of 9.4. This was compared with a mean number of correct responses of 8.4 for those without such allergy.

The researchers expressed concern at their findings and offered the recommendation that treatment of nut allergies with dietary avoidance should include education for both adults and children on identification of common forms of peanuts and tree nuts. This was vital given that dietary avoidance is the primary means of preventing an allergic reaction. Dietary avoidance relies on children and parents being able to identify peanuts and tree nuts in their common forms.

Reference: Todd et al. The Ability of Adults and Children to Visually Identify Peanuts and Tree Nuts. Abstract 48. American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, Nov. 11-16, 2010.

Downloads: The abstracts from the 2010 ACAAI Meeting can be downloaded here. [PDF 3.6 MB]