Prevalence
Food allergy among children is
now recognized as a worldwide issue
in Westernized nations, and prevalence
appears to be increasing (NowakWegrzyn,
2003; Sampson, 2004;
Shimamoto & Bock, 2002). In the
United States alone, from 1997 to
2007, there was an 18% increase in
prevalence of food allergy among
children under the age of 18 years
(Branum & Lukacs, 2008). More
recent statistics reveal 8% of young
children in the United States suffer from food allergy. Of these children,
approximately 30% have multiple
food allergies, and 38.7% have a history
of severe food-induced reactions
(Gupta et al., 2011).