On 1/5/06, Eric Schlesinger <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
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> I suppose you could say the same for most of the common allergens -
> wheat, peanuts, soy (someone earlier in the thread gave a good list of
> the most common) - "if we were a <fill in the blank>-free culture we
> would not need these lists"; and I suspect other allergens would pop up
> to take their place.


This is almost certainly true.  The foods that end up being common allergens
in a culture correspond with foods that are very widely eaten in that
culture.  Rice allergy is far more common in Eastern Asia than it is in
North America or Europe, for example.

--Robyn

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