Food allergy prevalence among adults and children in nine countries

Published online April 30, 2026

Food allergy (FA) is increasing in prevalence and causing important public health concerns while negatively impacting the lives of patients and their families. Despite a growing interest in FA, there is a lack of robust evidence of its true prevalence due to heterogeneous methodologies which have made comparisons between demographic groups and geographical settings difficult. 

In the International Cross-Sectional Prevalence and Severity Study of Pediatric and Adult IgE-mediated Food Allergies (ASSESS FA) study recently published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, Fiocchi et al. assessed the point prevalence of IgE-mediated FA across Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Spain, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US). Self-reported data were collected through a population-based online survey completed by adults and caregivers of children. For each food allergen, the survey captured symptoms and post-ingestion timings of allergic reactions and whether the FA was physician diagnosed. Symptom-convincing FA was considered to most accurately reflect real-world estimates of FA prevalence. Symptom-convincing FA was defined as self-reported FA to one or more allergens with stringent symptoms (pre-defined with FA experts) indicative of a FA that occurred within 120 minutes of exposure.

The ASSESS FA study assessed the prevalence of FA among 46,711 children and 44,219 adults across nine countries. The prevalence of symptom-convincing FA in children ranged between 2.4% (in Germany) and 7.5% (in Canada) while among adults, it ranged between 2.1% (in Japan) and 6.6% (in Italy). The most commonly reported allergens in children were peanut, milk/dairy, and tree nut, while among adults, the top allergens were peanut, shrimp, and shellfish. Peanut was the most prevalent allergen among children in all countries except Japan and China. Among adults, peanut was the most common allergen in all countries except Japan, China, and the US, where it was the second most common allergen. Approximately one-third of children (28.6%) and adults (35.2%) reported having FA associated with multiple allergens. The results of this study, which used a standardized methodology to define FA cases and allergic reactions, offer robust evidence that FA is an international burden which affects populations across age groups and geographical regions. 

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

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Corresponding Author
Alessandro Fiocchi, MD
Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital 
Division of Allergy