2. The number of people with allergies in Western countries has doubled in the past 25 years

3. In the general population about 1 in every 200 children will develop an Anaphylactic reaction at some time.

4. In Australia 90% of food allergies are caused by eight food groups – egg, milk, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, wheat, soy and sesame.

5. 4 out of 5 children with peanut allergy will have this with them for life – reactions increase with age. Nuts are the most likely cause of Anaphylaxis.

6. Food allergies occur when the body has a reaction to a particular protein in a food – it triggers an immune response.

7. Different food allergies are more prevalent in different countries i.e. seafood-based allergies occur in larger numbers in countries where a lot of seafood is eaten, rice allergy is common in Japan but uncommon in Australia.

8. Most food allergies strike in infancy and early childhood however, shellfish allergies most often develop in the late teens.

9. 9 out of 10 children with a food allergy have experienced eczema. (Ref: Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology & Allergy 2006)