Food Allergy

n. allergic reaction to food or a food ingredient

A food allergy is an immunologic response to a food protein. It is estimated that up to 12 million Americans have food allergies of one type or another, and the prevalence is rising. Six to eight percent of children have food allergies and two percent of adults have them. The most common food allergies in adults are shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame seeds, fish, and eggs, and the most common food allergies present in children are milk, eggs, and peanuts.
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Food allergy. Allergy medicine A condition, the incidence of which–0.3-7.5%–is obscured by controversial data and differing disease [more]Food allergy - Community and Resources

Noun
1. allergic reaction to a substance ingested in food
(hypernym) allergy, allergic reaction

Food allergy is an abnormal response to a food triggered by the body’s immune system. In this pamphlet, food allergy refers to a particular type of response of the immune system in which the body produces what is called an allergic, or IgE, antibody to a food. (IgE, or immunoglobulin E, is a type of protein that works against a specific food.)
Allergic reactions to food can cause serious illness and, in some cases, death. Therefore, if you have a food allergy, it is extremely important for you to work with your healthcare provider to find out what food(s) causes your allergic reaction.
Sometimes, a reaction to food is not an allergy at all but another type of reaction called “food intolerance.”
Food intolerance is more common than food allergy. The immune system does not cause the symptoms of food intolerance, though these symptoms may look and feel like those of a food allergy.