My grammar school lunches were usually comprised of the same things every day: a peanut butter sandwich, a carton of milk, a piece of fruit, and a granola bar. I think that pretty much every kid I went to school with had a variation on this classic meal. Nowadays, the apple might be the only acceptable piece of that lunch to make it to the cafeteria, since all the other components can trigger severe allergic reactions.

To a child of the eighties like myself, the idea of banning peanuts or milk in schools just sounds crazy. I can’t even imagine school without peanut butter. But kids today live in a different world, one where their friends and classmates are much more likely to suffer from real and scary food allergies. Some kids live in constant fear of eating an errant peanut or egg. So much for peanut butter being a beloved reminder of childhood.

2.2 Million Kids and Counting
The past ten years have seen a sharp increase in the number of children with food allergies. According to the CDC, one in twenty-six children had a food allergy in 2007, as opposed to one in twenty-nine in 1997. Ninety percent of those allergies were to only eight foods: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish. Not only are more children than ever experiencing allergies, but they’re also becoming allergic to multiple foods at once. Despite the increasing frequency of childhood food allergies, scientists still aren’t sure what’s causing them.

Antiseptic Culture, Allergy Craze?
Our cultural germ-phobia might be one of the culprits responsible for the uptick in allergies. Watch any commercial on daytime television and it’s obvious that we’re crazy for antibacterial hand gel, antiseptic kitchen supplies, and cleanliness every day, everywhere. If our immune systems are never challenged by bacteria or germs, then they won’t develop and learn to produce antibodies properly. There’s already some evidence that antibacterial soaps contribute to weak immune systems and drug-resistant superbugs. Some allergists believe that our immune systems overreact to food items because they’re underexposed to real threats. Recent studies have concluded that children who grow up in large, busy families or attend daycare with other children are less likely to develop allergies. It’s possible that exposure to germs can actually be a good thing.

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