Written question asked by Gordon Prentice (Labour) on Tuesday, 14 May 2002, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 23 May 2002. It was answered by Yvette Cooper (Labour) on Thursday, 23 May 2002 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Dept of Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have died as a result of a food allergy in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement. - Includes figures.

Answer: Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have died as a result of a food allergy in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement. [57256] Yvette Cooper: Reliable data are not available for the number of deaths associated with food allergy. This is because deaths due to allergy are often attributed on the death certificate to asthma or some other symptom rather than to actual food allergy. The committee on toxicity reported in 2000 that of about 20 deaths annually attributed to fatal anaphylactic shock, 30 per cent. (i.e. about seven) are due to foods, the most commonly implicated food being peanut.

Secondary information