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WSJ.Com/Harris Interactive Survey Suggests That More Can Be Done By Consumers and the Food Industry to Prevent Allergic Reactions

Posted on: Wednesday, 15 August 2007, 15:19 CDT

One in five American households includes at least one person who suffers from food allergies, but most people who say they have food allergies have not been tested by a doctor. One-third of those with food allergies categorize their condition as very serious or life threatening, and the National Institutes of Health has stated that food allergies are an emerging public health problem in this country.

Most people who suffer from food allergies have taken one or more precautions to prevent allergic reactions. The most common steps people take are to inquire about how foods are prepared when dining out, or informing food servers and managers about their food allergies. Less frequently used precautions include notifying employers or schools about their condition, carrying an emergency pack of medication or wearing some form of medical alert tag like a bracelet or chain.

These are some of the results of an online survey of 2,853 U.S. adults ages 18 years and over, of whom 615 have someone in their household with food allergies, conducted by Harris Interactive between July 17 and 19, 2007 for The Wall Street Journal Online's Health Industry Edition (www.wsj.com/health). Among these 615 adults, 185 have life threatening or very serious food allergies and 430 have allergies that are only a nuisance or no bother.

In spite of these precautions four in ten food allergy sufferers have experienced allergic reactions because they lacked or received inaccurate information about the foods they purchased. One in four say they were not informed about an ingredient in a meal and one in five were misinformed. Nearly one in five experienced reactions because of foods that were incorrectly or insufficiently labeled.

Katherine Binns, Division President for Healthcare Research at Harris Interactive, comments, "According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, approximately 30,000 individuals require emergency room treatment each year as a result of food allergies1. To help Americans avoid food allergen health risks, Congress passed the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 20042, which applies to all domestic and imported foods regulated by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and requires that labels identify the food source of all major food allergens3. Additionally, the FDA has also conducted food allergen education programs for consumers and industry4. These survey findings suggest that all of these efforts are needed and welcomed by the general public."

A variety of guidelines have been proposed to help ensure that individuals are not exposed to food allergens. These include training kitchen staff to avoid the cross contamination of foods, ensuring that staff are aware of specific allergens in dishes, listing potential allergy inducing ingredients on menus and making diners aware of dishes that contain potential allergens. The majority of the American public -- whether or not they have food allergies -- welcomes such preventative guidelines.

TABLE 1

EXPERIENCE WITH FOOD ALLERGIES

"Do you or does someone else in your household suffer from food allergies? Please select all that apply."

Base: All adults

Total

Someone in Household Suffers from Food Allergies

%

%

Someone in Household Suffers from Food Allergies (NET)

20

100

I suffer from food allergies

11

55

Someone else in my household suffers from food allergies

11

59

No one in my household suffers from food allergies

80

-

Note: Multiple-response question.

"-"No Response

TABLE 2

TESTING FOR FOOD ALLERGIES

"Have you ever been tested by a doctor for food allergies?"

Base: All adults

Total

Someone in Household Suffers from Food Allergies

%

%

Yes, have been tested by a doctor

17

40

No, have not been tested by a doctor

83

60

TABLE 3

SEVERITY OF FOOD ALLERGIES

"Would you describe your/that person's food allergies as...?"

Base: Someone in household suffers from food allergies

Total

%

Food Allergies Are a Very Serious of Life Threatening (NET)

32

Life threatening

8

Very serious

24

A nuisance, but not too serious

62

No bother at all

6

TABLE 4

STEPS PEOPLE TAKE TO PREVENT ALLERGIC REACTIONS

"Below is a list of precautions that doctors often recommend to their patients who have food allergies. Have you/Has the other person in your household who suffers from food allergies taken any of the following precautions?"

Base: Someone in household suffers from food allergies

Total

Allergies are Life Threatening or Very Serious

Allergies are a Nuisance or No Bother

Selected "Yes" for one or more precautions listed below

%

62

81

53

Inquire about how foods are prepare when dining out

%

44

64

34

Inform food servers or managers of food allergies when dining out

%

39

65

27

Notify an employer or school about the condition

%

24

35

19

Carry an emergency pack with medication like Benadryl or an EPI pen

%

23

36

16

When dining out, ask about the restaurant's procedures for avoiding cross-contamination during preparation

%

22

46

10

Carry a personalized emergency care card listing doctor's name and number, medications used, and foods that can cause reactions

%

12

18

10

Wear a medical alert bracelet, chain or other form of medical tag

%

8

12

6

TABLE 5

REASONS FOR ALLERGIC REACTIONS

"Have you/Has the other person in your household who suffers from food allergies had an allergic reaction to food for any of the following reasons or occasions?"

Base: Someone in household suffers from food allergies

Total

Allergies are Life Threatening or Very Serious

Allergies are a Nuisance or No Bother

Percent that experienced an allergic reaction for one or more of the reasons listed below

%

42

58

34

Not informed about an ingredient in a meal at a restaurant

%

25

32

22

Sharing a meal in someone else's home

%

23

31

19

Misinformed about the ingredients in a meal at a restaurant

%

19

27

15

Incorrect or insufficient labeling on a food product purchased in a store or market

%

17

33

9

Note: Percentages may not add up to 100 percent due to rounding.

TABLE 6

SUPPORT FOR ADHERENCE TO ALLERGY SAFETY GUIDELINES

"Do you think restaurants and school or work cafeterias should be required to adhere to the following allergy safety guidelines?"

Summary of Yes

Base: All adults

Total

Someone in Household Suffers from Food Allergies

%

%

Train kitchen staff in procedures to avoid cross-contamination

92

92

Ensure that staff members are aware of specific allergens in dishes

82

81

List all potential allergy-inducing ingredients on menus

74

70

Make diners aware of dishes with allergens when they order those dishes

70

67

Methodology

Harris Interactive® conducted this online survey within the United States between July 17 and 19, 2007 among a national cross section of 2,853 adults (615 of whom have someone in their household with food allergies), ages 18 years and over. Among these 615 adults, 185 have life threatening or very serious food allergies and 430 have allergies that are only a nuisance or no bother. Figures for age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, income and region were weighted where necessary to align with population proportions. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online.

All surveys are subject to several sources of error. These include: sampling error (because only a sample of a population is interviewed); measurement error due to question wording and/or question order, deliberately or unintentionally inaccurate responses, nonresponse (including refusals), interviewer effects (when live interviewers are used) and weighting.

With one exception (sampling error) the magnitude of the errors that result cannot be estimated. There is, therefore, no way to calculate a finite "margin of error" for any survey and the use of these words should be avoided.

With pure probability samples, with 100 percent response rates, it is possible to calculate the probability that the sampling error (but not other sources of error) is not greater than some number. With pure probability samples of 2,853 one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the results would have a sampling error of +/- 1.8 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples would be higher and may vary. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

About The Wall Street Journal Online

The Wall Street Journal Online at WSJ.com, published by Dow Jones & Company (NYSE: DJ; www.dowjones.com), is the largest paid subscription news site on the Web. Launched in 1996, the Online Journal continues to attract quality subscribers who are at the top of their industries, with 983,000 subscribers world-wide as of Q2, 2007. The Wall Street Journal Online network includes CareerJournal.com, OpinionJournal.com, StartupJournal.com, RealEstateJournal.com and CollegeJournal.com.

The Online Journal provides in-depth business news and financial information 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with insight and analysis, including breaking business and technology news and analysis from around the world. It draws on the Dow Jones network of nearly 1,900 business and financial news staff -- the largest network of business and financial journalists in the world.

In 2007, the Online Journal received the Webby Award for Best Website in the Financial Services category. In 2005, the Online Journal was awarded a Codie Award for Best Online News Service for the second consecutive year, and its Health Industry Edition was awarded Best Online Science or Technology Service for the third consecutive year.

About Harris Interactive

Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides innovative research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiaries Novatris in France and MediaTransfer AG in Germany, and through a global network of independent market research firms. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com. To become a member of the Harris Poll Online and be invited to participate in online surveys, register at www.harrispollonline.com.

Harris Interactive Inc. 8/07

1 Source, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Significant Items in House and Senate Appropriations Committee Reports, FY2006 House Appropriations Committee Report Language (H Rpt 109-143)

2 http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/alrgact.html

3 U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Food Facts, February 2007

4 U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Food Allergies; When Food Becomes the Enemy, Ray Formanek Jr, April 2004

Source: Business Wire

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