From Citizendium - Reading time: 1 min
In medicine, food hypersensitivity (food allergies or food allergy) is a form of immediate hypersensitivity that is "Gastrointestinal disturbances, skin eruptions, or shock due to allergic reactions to allergens in food."[1]
Food hypersensitivity is difficult to diagnose and may be overdiagnosed.[2] Food hypersensitivity is different from lactose intolerance.
There are economic incentives to produce hypoallergenic food products. As a related effort, the marketing and distribution of certain highly allergenic foods, such as peanuts, are changing to reduce exposure.