As Dangerous Food Allergies Skyrocket In Kids, Scientists Wonder If Hypoallergenic Peanuts Could Be The Answer
“One kid in every classroom has some sort of food allergy,” said Dr. Scott Commins, an allergist and immunologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “You put it on that sort of scale, you realize that we’re dealing with a huge issue that doesn’t seem to be going away.” Meanwhile, the FDA is considering adding sesame to the list of possible allergens that labels have to carry.
The Boston Globe:
Allergies Change How We All Eat
Hortense Dodo has genetically engineered a hypoallergenic peanut. But she isn’t targeting people with peanut allergies. Not directly, anyway. Her peanuts are for everyone else. Dodo wants to see her creation adopted by the food industry so that, in the event of accidental ingestion by an allergic person or cross-contamination, any allergic reaction would be non-fatal. “They don’t have to die from that,” Dodo said. (Rodriguez McRobbie, 11/12)
The Wall Street Journal:
FDA Considers Making Food Labels Disclose Sesame To Help Allergy Sufferers
Sophie Schmults has never had Chinese food or hummus. She is careful with what hamburger buns she eats. And she is wary of any food that says it contains “spices” or “natural flavorings.” The 13-year-old, diagnosed with a sesame allergy when she was a baby, says a measure being considered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to add sesame to the list of allergens that packaged-food labels must disclose would dramatically change her life. (Reddy, 11/12)
