Health assessment of peanuts

Peanuts belong to the legume family and are a common cause of food-related allergic reactions. They are the leading cause of all reported fatal cases of food-related anaphylaxis. Heat treatment can even increase their allergenicity. Even traces of allergenic components can cause symptoms such as skin redness, breathing difficulties and circulatory collapse in people with allergies.

In the European Union, there is a labelling requirement for the known main allergens (including peanuts) in packaged foods if they are used as an ingredient in a food. However, labelling allergens that have inadvertently entered the food during the production process with phrases such as ‘may contain traces of...’ or ‘our company also processes...’ is insufficient and unnecessarily limits the food choices for people with allergies. Therefore, the derivation of threshold values for allergens requiring labelling is being discussed internationally and in Europe.

Another problem associated with the consumption of peanuts concerns young children in particular. Due to their small size and the oily surface of peanuts, they can easily enter the windpipe and deeper areas of the respiratory tract. This can cause permanent health damage and even death by suffocation.

Peanuts are the cause of about a quarter of aspirated foreign bodies in young children. The overall risk of aspiration with nuts is significantly higher than with toys or toy parts. Therefore, the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment recommends that parents, educators and other supervisors be informed about the risk of suffocation from peanuts.