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A food allergy is an adverse immune response to a food protein. Food allergy is distinct from other adverse responses to food, such as food intolerance, pharmacologic reactions, and toxin-mediated reactions.

The Big Eight

The most common food allergies are:

• Dairy allergy
• Egg allergy
• Peanut allergy
• Tree nut allergy
• Seafood allergy
• Shellfish allergy
• Soy allergy
• Wheat allergy

These are often referred to as “the big eight.” They account for over 90% of the food allergies in the United States.

The top allergens vary somewhat from country to country but milk, eggs, peanuts, treenuts, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat and sesame tend to be in the top 10 in many countries.

Rarer Food Allergies

Likelihood of allergy can increase with exposure. For example, rice allergy is more common in East Asia where rice forms a large part of the diet.

In Central Europe, celery allergy is more common. In Japan, allergy to buckwheat flour, used for Soba noodles, is more common.

Red meat allergy is extremely rare in the general population, but a geographic cluster of people allergic to red meat has been observed in Sydney, Australia. There appears to be a possible association between localised reaction to tick bite and the development of red meat allergy.

Corn allergy may also be prevalent in many populations, although it may be difficult to recognize in areas such as the United States and Canada where corn derivatives are common in the food supply.