Survey will look at number of Canadians with life-threatening allergies
July 23, 2008
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THE CANADIAN PRESS
Researchers have launched a national survey project to determine how many Canadians suffer from potentially fatal food allergies.
The survey of 9,000 Canadians across the country will also delve into how effective food labels are in warning consumers about such allergy-causing ingredients as peanuts.
Co-principal investigator Susan Elliott of McMaster University says results of the survey will help Canadian policy-makers take steps to prevent, diagnose and manage allergic diseases.
Also, Elliott says the survey findings will help companies develop clearer and safer labelling for food products.
The prevalence of serious food allergies is known to be rising in Canada and elsewhere in the world, and scientists are trying to figure out why.
Allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish and sesame seeds can cause a potentially fatal reaction known as anaphylaxis.
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