Private MD News

Candy company recalls product that may cause serious allergies

Category: Allergy Testing

The producer of a brand of caramel apples has recalled their product because of its potential to cause serious allergic reactions.

The company, Affy Tapple, has said that its premium package of limited edition classic candy flavors did not include the typical allergen statement "manufactured on shared equipment with peanuts and tree nuts," the Chicago Tribute reports.

The company ordered the recall as a precautionary measure after a customer reported a peanut fragment atop one of the coated apples. However, no accounts of any allergic reactions or illness have been recounted.

The apples were distributed to stores in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio and Kentucky.

Though potentially deadly allergic reactions to milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and gluten are reportedly experienced by only 4 percent of adults, recent research by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network suggests that food-related allergies have been under-diagnosed.

These trends have been confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics who reported that between 1997 and 2007, the occurrence of reported food allergies jumped 18 percent among children under the age of 18.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 12 million Americans have food allergies.