“This is a massive research project which will have far-reaching consequences for consumers and food producers,” said professor Clare Mills of the University of Manchester’s Allergy and Respiratory Centre and the new head of the $14 million iFAAM study, which stands for Integrated Approaches to Food Allergen and Allergy Risk Management.

One of the main goals of iFAAM is to reduce the use precautionary “may contain” labels on packages to those food products which truly require the label. As ‘may contains’ have flourished in the marketplace, the choices for food-allergic consumers have become increasingly limited. The researchers plan to develop standardized processes and enforcement rules for European food manufacturers to follow to reduce risks of cross-contamination with allergens, and streamline processes to test foods for allergens.

Another section of the study will attempt to explain why individuals develop food allergies. A research group will examine whether the early introduction of allergenic foods in a baby’s diet and other nutritional aspects play a role. A related group of researchers will try to identify who is more likely to suffer a severe allergic reaction, and whether diet during pregnancy is related to the onset of food allergy in infants.

This study builds on $21.9 million worth of research from the EuroPrevall project, which Mills also headed and which  focused on food allergy prevalence across Europe.

See the official iFAAM press release

There is also optimism that information coming out of large-scale research in Europe on the “farming effect” will lead to a vaccine in the future. Perhaps one day doctors might advise getting a pet, or visiting a farm to prevent allergy: there is increasing evidence that being exposed to livestock, dogs (and in some cases, cats) as a young child can help the immune system switch into TH1 mode.

Other research is examining at things such as whether fish oil has a preventative role, as well as the timing of when certain allergenic foods are introduced.

While there’s no concrete evidence yet of what will prevent food allergy, rest assured that scientists are madly investigating every possible angle to come up with a way to foil this modern-day health scourge.