Australia is the world's food allergy capital, according to a recent study that shows that one in ten children in the nation has some sort of food allergy. According to Professor Katie Allen of Murdoch Children's Research Institute, this is the highest rate of food allergies in the world. In fact, children as young as one year old have inflammatory responses to food, which can be deadly if their airway swells and they are unable to breathe.

Just one generation ago, food allergies like the ones experienced by children today were almost unheard of. "If you went out into the community and asked (adults) how many had food allergies when they were kids, almost none did. But if you walk into a classroom now, almost every class has at least one child with a food allergy", said Professor Allen.

This is the second wave of allergic illnesses in Australia, following an epidemic of asthma in the 1990s. The question researchers are asking now is whether or not this is a simple epidemic or if it is an evolutionary change that will lead to more chronic diseases like asthma.

In fact, food allergy clinics are being inundated with patients to the point that people in some states have to wait one year before being seen by a specialist.