Allergy Facts

• Food allergies affect between 4-8 % of children and 1-2 % of adults.
• Peanuts top the list of foods most commonly associated with allergic reactions.
• Peanut allergy is the most common life-threatening food allergy in children.

What is peanut allergy?
Peanut allergy occurs when the body’s immune system reacts to a protein in the peanut as if it were harmful.  Allergy symptoms may develop within minutes, but may even occur 2-4 hours after eating or being exposed to the peanut protein. 

For some, even the smell of peanuts or peanut-containing products can trigger an allergic reaction. Symptoms can progress from mild to severe.

What are the symptoms?  The most dangerous symptoms include breathing problems, a drop in blood pressure, rapid heart beat, or loss of consciousness. Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction, which can occur quickly, without warning, and may result in death.

Injectable epinephrine (e.g. EpiPen®) must be given as soon as contact with peanuts is suspected. Follow doctor’s instructions for the treatment of anaphylaxis. It is a life-threatening reaction that may occur suddenly. Even if you suspect the allergic child has had contact with peanuts:

• Give the EpiPen®.
• Call 911 right away for medical follow-up.

Is there a cure?
There is no cure for peanut allergy. The only treatment is complete avoidance of peanuts and products containing peanuts.

Managing allergy risks Teach the allergic child to:

• Not share foods, drinks, utensils, or containers.
• Wash hands with soap and water before and after eating.
• Ask about the ingredients used in the preparation of food when eating out.
• Not eat foods when unsure about ingredients or preparation.
• Always carry an EpiPen®.

Beware of cross-contamination
Safe food becomes unsafe upon contact with peanuts or peanut-containing products.  The contaminated food can trigger an allergic reaction.

Cross-contamination can occur in many places.

• Food companies.  Peanut-free foods may become unsafe when they are made on the same processing line as other products.
• Home or school. Contamination may occur when the same utensils are used to prepare more than one food item.
• Restaurants. Serving spoons from unsafe dishes may come into contact with safe foods at buffets and salad bars.
• Bulk food stores. Scoops used in food bins may have been in contact with the peanut bin.

Foods with simple or little preparation are less likely to be contaminated. Try baked potatoes, plain meats, and steamed vegetables when away from home.

Peanut oil
Not all peanut oils are free of peanut protein. Unrefined or unprocessed oils may cause an allergic reaction. Call the manufacturer to obtain more information about the product.

Avoiding Peanuts

• Read lists of ingredients on packaged and prepared foods every time you shop
•  Manufacturers may use different ingredients or change their recipes.
• Do not eat foods that contain ingredients that you don’t recognize or foods that do not carry a list of ingredients. Contact the manufacturer if you are unsure about ingredients.
• Avoid foods that state “may contain traces of peanuts or nuts” at the end of the ingredient list.
• Beware of imported foods from unfamiliar manufacturers. Ingredients may contain traces of peanuts.
• Become familiar with standard food preparations. African, Asian, and Thai foods often contain peanuts. Peanut butter may be used as a thickener in chili, gravy, or spaghetti sauce. Fondues and stir fries are often made with peanut oil.

Words on a list of ingredients that indicate the presence of peanut protein include:

• Arachis oil, peanut oil
• Ground nuts
• Nut meats
• Artificial nuts     
• Hydrolyzed peanut protein 
• Peanuts, peanut butter
• Cacahouète/cacahouette/cacahuète  
• Mandelonas, Nu-Nuts™  
• Peanut flour
• Goober nuts, goober peas   
• Mixed nuts, beer nuts   
• Valencias

Other possible food sources of peanuts include:

• Almond/hazelnut past
• Fried foods
• Baked goods (cakes, cookies, donuts, pastries)  
• Glazing, icing
• Candy        
• Gravy
• Cereals        
• Hydrolyzed plant/vegetable protein
• Chili        
• Marzipan, nougat
• Chocolate       
• Peanut oil
• Commercial desserts      
• Snack foods (dried fruit mix, energy/granola bar, popcorn, potato chips, trail mix)
• Curries, eggrolls, satays
• Dried salad dressing/soup mix
• Vegetarian meat substitutes
  Note:  These lists are not complete and may change.

Allergy Information

Watch for Allergy Alerts and Food Recalls. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency will issue public warnings and food recalls when they are made aware of peanut-containing food products that do not declare peanuts in the list of ingredients. Check the website for daily updates.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency www.inspection.gc.ca/english/fssa/labeti/allerg/allerge.shtml

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