August 17, 2019. Slave runners are responsible for peanut allergies in America.
Peanuts are not native to America. Peanuts are native to Africa. When slave traffickers brought native Africans to America, some of the slaves were carrying peanuts as a snack. Some of the peanuts were planted and eventually peanuts became a staple crop in the south.
During the war between the states, southern soldiers carried peanuts because they were protein that was easy to carry and did not spoil. Yankee soldiers learned about peanuts from southern captives or when they were captives of the southern soldiers. So, peanuts spread across the country.
Peanuts are probably the most common severe allergy, but there are a lot of people that are allergic to foods like milk and milk is in a lot of products and often over looked. Recently, a little girl was happy to get a special tooth paste because she was having problems with cavities. Sadly, no one thought to check the ingredients list on toothpaste for milk.
A deadly reaction can be caused by a bit of milk, or peanut or other allergent smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. If you are around anyone with an allergy, please do not forget and be careless.
Everything that enters my grandsons' home is wiped down for allergens and germs. Inaddition to allergies, they have a problem fighting infections, and several other autoimunine issues. Every new container, even if they have been eating the same food for years, is read aloud by a parent while one of the boys listens. It is not uncommon for a product to suddenly add a new ingredient that the boys are allergic to. Every product they use has to be vetted with the manufacturer for contamination such as the same equipment used for the product the boys are using and other products that the boys are allergic to. Having an allergic person in the household is stressful and time consuming. And many families are going through the same routine.
If you have friends or family that have to deal with allergies, be patient and be supportive. It will be appreciated more than you know.
In the U.S., 32 million people are estimated to have food allergies, including 5.6 million children. There are 329 million people in the US.