Food Allergy Resources
Practice Parameters and Guidelines
Is your patient a candidate for specific IgE testing?
Get detailed information on whole allergens and allergen components.
Ready to test a patient?
Food Allergy Resources
Practice Parameters and Guidelines
Is your patient a candidate for specific IgE testing?
Get detailed information on whole allergens and allergen components.
Ready to test a patient?
Food allergies
Symptoms, types and testing
Food allergies affect approximately 250 million people worldwide.1 Understanding a food allergy diagnosis is vital for making confident food choices and managing symptoms that can vary from mild to severe. This page provides valuable information on food allergies including causes, symptoms, diagnosis and testing options.
What are food allergies?
Food allergies are a type of allergic reaction that occurs when the immune system reacts to typically harmless substances, like whole allergens from milk, eggs, fish, or peanuts. It’s also possible to have allergic reactions to specific molecules, called allergen components, within whole allergens.
Food allergies can cause a wide variety of symptoms from less severe reactions like rashes, stomach issues and itchy mouth, to more severe reactions like anaphylaxis.
Food allergies affect...
1 in 10 adults2
1 in 13 children3
Food allergies vs food intolerances
Food intolerances, like lactose intolerance and wheat sensitivity, mimic food allergy symptoms but are not caused by an immune system reaction.4 They result from enzyme deficiencies or pharmacological reactions. Food allergies are solely immune system responses.
What causes food allergies?
A food allergy develops when your body’s immune system has an abnormal response to a specific food and creates IgE antibodies.5
The next time you eat that specific food, the specific IgE antibodies cause an immune response, resulting in food allergy symptoms.5
How do food allergies affect adults and children?
Food allergies in adults
10% of adults, globally, have a food allergy.6
More than 50% of adults with food allergies have experienced a severe reaction.8
Food allergies in children
80% of children outgrow milk, egg, soy, and wheat allergies.7
More than 40% of children with food allergies have experienced a severe reaction.3
Common food allergens
90% of food allergies are caused by nine common allergens.9
Because a large population of people react to these 9 allergens, they are deemed major allergens and must be called out on food labels.
Other common food allergens
Pollen food allergy syndrome, or oral allergy syndrome (OAS), occurs when someone with a pollen allergy eats a specific fruit or vegetable—like kiwi, celery, tomatoes, peppers, and avocado—and experiences symptoms like itchy mouth and throat.
Food allergy symptoms
Food allergy symptoms vary from stomach cramps and an itchy mouth to rashes and fatigue. While anaphylaxis is the most severe reaction, food allergies can also cause minor reactions depending on the individual.
Gastrointestinal symptoms
- Stomach pain or cramps
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Bloating
- Acid reflux
Lungs, throat and mouth symptoms
- Itchy or tingly mouth, lips or throat
- Swelling of the tongue or throat
- Wheezing or coughing
- Difficulty breathing
- Hoarseness
- Very pale lips
Skin related symptoms
- Rashes & hives
- Intense itching
- Facial swelling
- Pale or flushed appearance
Full-body symptoms
- Fatigue
- Rising anxiety
- Feeling too hot or very cold
- Failure to thrive
Anaphylaxis symptoms
- Difficulty breathing
- Weak and rapid pulse
- Drop in blood pressure
- Swollen tongue or throat
- Dizziness or loss of consciousness
- Nausea or diarrhea
Food allergy diagnosis
The only way to be clinically diagnosed with a food allergy is to have a medical history of reactions paired with a positive allergy test.10 Serologic food allergy testing evaluates specific IgE antibodies (sIgE) found in the blood, which, at high levels, indicates what food allergens may be causing you to react.
How to test for food allergies
Healthcare providers use two main types of food allergy testing: specific IgE blood testing and skin prick testing (SPT). SPT is usually only offered by an allergist; however, specific IgE blood testing can be used by a wide range of clinicians, such as primary care providers, urgent care clinicians, pediatricians and internists.
Be wary of “at-home” testing
Be careful not to confuse at-home food sensitivity or food intolerance testing as allergy testing. These for-purchase testing kits found online or over the counter do not evaluate sIgE antibodies; therefore, they cannot be used to diagnose an allergy.
What is testing with food allergen components?
Testing with food allergen components is primarily a type of specific IgE blood test that evaluates whether you may be allergic to a specific protein or allergen component found within a food allergen.
Think of a “whole allergen” as a completed puzzle.
Allergen components are like the puzzle pieces that make up the puzzle.
Testing with allergen components identifies which specific component of a whole allergen may be causing your reaction.
Why is it important to know which food allergen components you are allergic to?
Being allergic to different types of food allergen components may cause different types of reactions. Likewise, understanding which allergen components you are allergic to can also broaden your understanding of your food allergy, such as …11, 12
Whether you may be able to tolerate baked milk or baked eggs.
How severe your peanut or tree nut allergy may be.
Whether fruit or vegetables may be cross-reacting with your pollen allergy.
How to get tested for food allergies
Schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider today and get tested for food allergies.
Allergy questionnaire
Use this allergy questionnaire to help prepare you for your food allergy appointment. Once filled out, you can provide it to your clinician so that you can have an efficient and impactful conversation about your allergies
Additional food allergy resources
Clinical resources for healthcare providers interested in learning more about food allergies and food allergy testing
- Pawankar R, et al. World Allergy Organization (WAO) White Book on Allergy. 2013;19.
- Gupta RS, et al. Prevalence and severity of food allergies among US adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2019;2(1):e185630.
- Gupta RS, et al. The public health impact of parent-reported childhood food allergies in the United States. Pediatrics. 2018;142(6):e20181235.
- Spergel JM. Nonimmunoglobulin E–mediated immune reactions to foods. Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2006;2(2):78-84.
- Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). Allergies and the immune system. Retrieved April 2025, from www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/allergies-and-the-immune-system
- Bartha I, et al. Feast for thought: A comprehensive review of food allergy 2021-2023. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2024;153(3):576-594.
- Radlović N, et al. Food allergy in children. Srp Arh Celok Lek. 2016;144(1-2):99-103.
- Food Allergy Research & Education. (n.d.). Facts and statistics. Retrieved Apr 2025, from www.foodallergy.org/resources/facts-and-statistics
- Food Safety and Inspection Service. Food Allergies: The “Big 9” | Food Safety and Inspection Service. (n.d.). www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-basics/food-allergies-big-9
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of food allergy in the United States: Report of the NIAID-sponsored expert panel. Natl Inst Health. 2010;126(6):4-14.
- Canonica, G.W., et al., A WAO - ARIA - GA(2)LEN consensus document on molecular-based allergy diagnostics. World Allergy Organ J, 2013. 6(1): p.17
- Matricardi PM, et al. EAACI molecular allergology user's guide. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2016;27 Suppl 23:1-250.
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Create a summary of your allergy symptoms in a downloadable document
Share the summary with your healthcare provider for a productive conversation about allergy blood testing
Gain an optimized diagnosis and a personalized treatment plan
Allergy Symptom Questionnaire
Allergies affect us all differently. This questionnaire will summarize your specific allergy symptoms to share with your healthcare provider and learn more about your testing options.
- Create a summary of your allergy symptoms in a downloadable document
- Share the summary with your healthcare provider for a productive conversation about allergy blood testing
- Gain an optimized diagnosis and a personalized treatment plan
|
Create a summary of your allergy symptoms in a downloadable document |
Create a summary of your allergy symptoms in a downloadable document
|
Share the summary with your healthcare provider for a productive conversation about allergy blood testing |
Share the summary with your healthcare provider for a productive conversation about allergy blood testing
|
Gain an optimized diagnosis and a personalized treatment plan |
Gain an optimized diagnosis and a personalized treatment plan