Accurate feeding advice doubles earlier, population-wide, allergen introduction

Published online March 19, 2026

Earlier introduction of common allergenic foods, such as peanuts and egg, in the infant diet is now known to help prevent food allergies. Australia updated its national allergy prevention guidelines in 2016 through the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy to recommend introducing common allergens before 12 months - a shift from older advice to delay or avoid these foods. Little was known about how families received this advice, how accurate it was, and whether receiving it changed what they actually did - the gap this study addressed.

Odoi et al’s recent study, published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, reported results from the EarlyNuts population-based study of 11-15 months old infants recruited at municipality-run immunisation sessions across Melbourne, Australia. Close to 1700 parents completed questionnaires about what advice they received about introducing solids, peanut, egg, tree nuts, and dairy; who gave the advice; and what and when they actually fed their infant.

The study found that 99% of families received some form of infant feeding advice and that overall, the advice had high accuracy (93-97%) for peanut, egg and tree nut introduction, but advice accuracy was lower for dairy (81%). Maternal Child Health Nurses (MCHNs) were the most common source of advice (87%), and advice from MCHNs was more likely to be both accurate and followed. Families who received accurate advice were the most likely to achieve timely introduction of allergens, with more than 90% of those receiving accurate advice achieving timely introduction of peanuts, eggs and dairy, and almost 70% achieving timely introduction of tree nuts. Families with one or both parents born outside Australia (especially East Asia) were less likely to report receiving advice or accurate advice. This is an important consideration for community-based clinical practices and programs; culturally and linguistically diverse families may require more support to achieve timely allergen introduction.

The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice is an official journal of the AAAAI, focusing on practical information for the practicing clinician.

Full Article


Corresponding Author
A/Prof Jennifer J. Koplin, PhD - Child Health Research Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

First Author
Ms. Alexsandria Odoi, BBNSc (Hons) - Population Allergy, Murdoch Children's Research Institute / Department of Paediatrics, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Australia