How to Be a Conscious Eater

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ETHICAL EATING IN THE ERA

OF FOOD ALLERGIES

O

dds are you either have a food allergy or have a friend or

family member who does.

This is not a niche issue. This is a monumental societal

and cultural issue that affects everyone who eats, which is to

say: everyone. And it especially affects people in positions like

schoolteachers, administrators, and airline stewards, as well

as restaurateurs, food product manufacturers, and farmers.

As to why food allergies have risen, theories abound.

Children born outside the United States are less likely to have

an allergy, and the chance of having one increases after liv-

ing in the United States for just ten years. Potential problems

with Western lifestyles range from the so-called “hygiene

hypothesis” and gene-environment interactions that make

the body attack itself to the excessive use of antibiotics and

questions about what babies are exposed to in utero and

how they’re delivered. It appears that diet and certain activ-

ities early in life—such as spending time outdoors and being

breastfed—may help protect against the risk of allergies.

WHAT HAS THE FOOD ALLERGY EPIDEMIC—AND THE RELATED BUT

DIFFERENT STRAND OF INCREASED INGREDIENT INTOLERANCE

AND FOOD INDIVIDUALISM—MEANT FOR THE ACT OF EATING AWAY

FROM HOME?

Cross-contamination and the potential liability risks are taken seriously.

May 2016 marked “the first time in Britain that someone has

been convicted of manslaughter over the sale of food,” accord-

ing to the New York Times. After a peanut-allergic customer

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