Peanut contamination in food products: a real danger for allergic people?

Allergy to peanut affects approximately 2% of children and in most cases persists throughout adult life. Seventeen peanut allergens have been identified so far and registered as "Ara h" molecules. Two of them, Ara h 1 and Ara h 3, are the most abundant proteins in the peanut extract. Since strict avoidance of peanut-containing food is the easiest way to prevent severe allergic reactions, manufacturers must label such products. However, consumers can still inadvertently be exposed to peanut allergens when foods become contaminated from processing lines shared with peanut products.

To investigate whether food products with the label "may contain traces of peanuts", available on the Polish market, are actually contaminated with Ara h 1 and Ara h 3.

Thirty food products with the label "may contain traces of peanuts", were purchased in Polish stores. Samples of the foods were analyzed by using Ara h 1/Ara h 3 ELISA kits.

Nearly one third of tested food products contained clinically relevant amounts of Ara h 1 and Ara h 3. The doses of both peanut allergens, when adjusted to the serving size of tested products, exceeded several times the eliciting dose 05 (the amount of the allergen, which is predicted to provoke a reaction in 5% of at-the-risk allergic population).

Consumption of foods labelled as "may contain traces of peanuts" poses a significant risk for people allergic to peanuts. Physicians should advise their patients with peanut allergy to strictly avoid such products.