The effects of food allergy and food intolerance on the development of concepts of healthy eating and nutrition : incidence rates in an Australian population

A food intolerance is a pharmacological reaction to the chemicals contained in a food or a food substance. Surveys in Australia indicate that around 25% of the population perceive that they have some form of intolerance to a food or food additive, however, there is currently no data regarding incidence rates of diagnosed food intolerances in Australia. Studies have linked some food chemical intolerances to the severity of symptoms in psychological illnesses such as Autism and ADHD. Similarly, emerging research out of the UK provides evidence that the increased processing of food, and reliance on artificial food additives, could be having detrimental affects on the health and behaviour of children. Healthy eating and nutrition has been identified as one of the major components that requires addressing in response to the current obesity epidemic in Australia. This paper presents the results of a population study of the incidence of food intolerances for the state of Queensland, and discusses the implications of this for the ways in which healthy eating is conceptualised.