Egg allergy is one of the most common food allergies in childhood, affecting about 8 percent of infants aged 12 months¹. 80 percent of these infants are likely to outgrow their egg allergy within the first few years of life.

Most children, even those who have had severe reactions, do eventually outgrow their egg allergy although some may not outgrow it until their teen years. A very small number of adults have egg allergy for life.

A downloadable allergen card for those with egg allergy has been developed to help make shopping a little easier.

Quick tips

• Always be aware of foods that have a shine to them. Egg can be used to give foods this glazed appearance, eg bakery items.
• Many butchers and fresh food outlets now have ready-to-cook products such as satay skewers, rissoles or seasoned foods that contain egg or egg products. These allergen-containing foods may very well be sitting next to the plain foods or prepared on the same surfaces. When purchasing these foods, consider asking about the risk of contamination with other foods. Gloves may sometimes need to be changed if the shop assistant has served a food containing the allergen prior to serving your food.

Fact sheets on egg allergy are available from the Children’s Hospital at Westmead and ASCIA websites

¹Osborne et al. Prevalence of challenge-proven IgE-mediated food allergy
using population-based sampling and predetermined
challenge criteria in infants. J Allergy Clin Immunolol 2011; 127: 668-676