Food Allergies Facts and Statistics

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Food, a necessity for all and something very delicious, but also deadly for some people. Not everyone can live free of food allergies. Food allergies occur in 1 out of every 13 children. This indicates over fifteen million people in the world suffer from food allergies. The food epidemic poses a threat to many citizens that live with food allergies because of incorrect labeling, distribution and safety in the preparation of food. My research highlights two key items: (1) definition of food allergies and how they affect the daily lives of those living with them and (2) the importance of food allergy knowledge and how educating people about food allergies will hopefully jumpstart the progress to find a cure.
Food allergies were reported, but not officially researched until 1976, when the public became aware of the immune system’s response to certain foods. The data collected showed that certain foods caused reactions in people, which provoked further research on such topics. Food allergy awareness came about in 1976 through newspapers and periodicals because of reports that people perished from ingesting food that they unknowingly had an allergic reaction to. A huge movement took place worldwide to show the dangers of food allergies. A few years later and as a result of this movement, the first Epi-Pen launched in the United States in 1980. Truly considered an amazing new beginning due to the fact that every three minutes, a food allergy reaction sends someone to the emergency department ("Food Allergy Facts and Statistics - FAAN").
What exactly are food allergies? Food allergies essentially occur as a result of the immune system attacking a mistaken food protein or an allergen. When this attack on the foo...

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...Works Cited

"Food Allergies and Food Intolerance." WebMD - Better Information. Better Health. WebMD, LLC, n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
"Food Allergies." KidsHealth - the Web's Most Visited Site about Children's Health. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.
"Food Allergies: What You Need to Know." U S Food and Drug Administration Home Page. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
"Food Allergy - MayoClinic.com." Mayo Clinic Medical Information and Tools for Healthy Living - MayoClinic.com. Mayo Clinic, 14 Feb. 2009. Web. 7 Mar. 2014.
"Food Allergy Facts and Statistics - FAAN." Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. N.p., 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2014.
Johannson, Mark. "Foodfacts.com." Food Facts-nutrition Facts, Health Food Recipes, Healthy Eating Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Mar. 2014.
Stoppler, Melissa C., and William C. Shiel. "Food Allergy." Medicinenet.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

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