2020: Research Related to the Prevalence of Food Allergies and Intolerances
Health Canada and AllerGen NCE (Allergy, Genes, and Environment Network of Centers of Excellence) supported the SPAACE to SPAACE (Surveying Prevalence of Food Allergy in All Canadian Environments, or S2S) study, a research initiative led by the University of Calgary and the University of Waterloo. This large Canadian survey, launched in 2016, provides a more recent estimate of the prevalence of common food allergies in Canada as well as a better understanding of the attitudes and behaviors of those living with these medical conditions. It is also the first study to look at temporal trends in overall food allergy prevalence in Canada by comparing these results to previous data collected in 2010.
The 2016 survey included 5,874 households, representing 15,322 individuals, including new Canadians, individuals of Indigenous identity, and members of lower-income households. In addition to estimating the number of Canadians affected by food allergy in general, the study looked at those that are largely responsible for the majority of severe anaphylactic reactions: peanut, tree nut, shellfish, fish, milk, egg, wheat, sesame and soy. Food allergy was defined as perceived (based on self-report) or probable (based on convincing history of symptoms and/or diagnosis).
The study found that the overall prevalence of probable food allergy has remained stable between 2010 and 2016 (5.9% of Canadians reported having a "probable food allergy" in 2010 compared to 6.1% of Canadians in 2016). While an increase in perceived food allergy was reported over the same time period (from 7.1% to 9.3%), this was attributed to increasing awareness. Similar to previous results, the most recent data from 2016 show that there are disparities between the prevalence of probable and perceived food allergies (Table 1). As expected, the prevalence of probable allergy is lower because some people self-report having a food allergy but have not had their allergy confirmed by their healthcare provider. Wider use of confirmatory medical testing would contribute to more accurate diagnosis in those who report they have food allergies.
Additional Resources:
| Food allergen | % Canadians with probable food allergy (95% CI) | % Canadians with perceived food allergy (95% CI) |
|---|---|---|
| Overall (Any food), All ages: Children (0-17 years): Adults (18+ years): |
6.1% (5.4-6.8%) | 9.3% (8.7-10.1%) |
| 6.7% (5.4-8.3%) | 8.7% (7.3-10.3%) | |
| 5.9% (5.2-6.7%) | 9.5% (8.7-10.3%) | |
| Peanut, All ages: Children (0-17): Adults (18+): |
1.2% (0.9-1.5%) | 1.4% (1.2-1.7%) |
| 3.2% (2.4-4.3%) | 3.5% (2.6-4.6%) | |
| 0.8% (0.6-1.0%) | 1.0% (0.8-1.3%) | |
| Tree nut, All ages: Children (0-17): Adults (18+): |
1.4% (1.1-1.7%) | 1.8% (1.5-2.2%) |
| 2.1% (1.4-3.0%) | 2.6% (1.9-3.6%) | |
| 1.3% (1.0-1.6%) | 1.7% (1.3-2.1%) | |
| ShellfishFootnote 3, All ages: Children (0-17): Adults (18+): |
1.1% (0.9-1.4%) | 1.9% (1.6-2.2%) |
| 0.9% (0.5-1.5%) | 1.3% (0.8-2.1%) | |
| 1.1% (0.9-1.4%) | 2.0% (1.6-2.4%) | |
| Fish, all Ages: Children (0-17): Adults (18+): |
0.6% (0.4-0.8%) | 0.8% (0.6-1.0%) |
| 1.1% (0.7-1.8%) | 1.2% (0.7-2.0%) | |
| 0.5% (0.3-0.7%) | 0.7% (0.5-0.9%) | |
| Egg, all Ages: Children (0-17): Adults (18+): |
0.8% (0.6-1.0%) | 0.9% (0.7-1.2%) |
| 1.8% (1.2-2.7%) | 2.1% (1.4-3.0%) | |
| 0.6% (0.4-0.8%) | 0.7% (0.5-0.9%) | |
| Milk, All ages: Children (0-17): Adults (18+): |
1.1% (0.9-1.4%) | 2.6% (2.3-3.0%) |
| 1.2% (0.7-1.9%) | 2.0% (1.4-2.9%) | |
| 1.1% (0.9-1.5%) | 2.7% (2.3-3.2%) | |
| Wheat, All ages: Children (0-17): Adults (18+): |
0.4% (0.3-0.6%) | 0.9% (0.7-1.1%) |
| 0.2% (0.1-0.6%) | 0.7% (0.4-1.3%) | |
| 0.5% (0.3-0.7%) | 0.9% (0.7-1.2%) | |
| Sesame, All ages: Children (0-17): Adults (18+): |
0.2% (0.1-0.3%) | 0.3% (0.2-0.5%) |
| 0.3% (0.1-0.7%) | 0.4% (0.2-0.9%) | |
| 0.2% (0.1-0.3%) | 0.3% (0.2-0.5%) | |
| Soy, All ages: Children (0-17): Adults (18+): |
0.3% (0.2-0.5%) | 0.5% (0.4-0.7%) |
| 0.3% (0.1-0.8%) | 0.3% (0.1-0.8%) | |
| 0.3% (0.2-0.5%) | 0.5% (0.4-0.8%) | |
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