Top 10 Research Priorities Published to Shape the Future of UK Childhood Food Allergy Research
Key Insights
A James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership led by the University of Bristol has published the top 10 research priorities for childhood food allergy (search), drawing on input from over 900 survey respondents and a final workshop of 29 stakeholders.
Food allergies affect one in 13 children in the UK, with impacts spanning physical, emotional, and social wellbeing for both children and their families.
The priorities have already informed Natasha's Foundation (search)'s £10 million Prize, focusing on the first 1,000 days from conception to age two for prevention and early-life origins research.
A landmark priority-setting initiative has identified the 10 most pressing research questions for childhood food allergy (search) in the UK, providing a roadmap for funders and researchers to address the needs of children, families, and healthcare professionals. The findings, published on 6 July 2026 in the journal Clinical and Experimental Allergy, emerged from a James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership led by researchers at the Centre for Applied Excellence in Skin and Allergy Research (CAESAR) at the University of Bristol.
Food allergies affect one in 13 children in the UK and can be life-threatening. Growing up with a food allergy (search) can affect a child's physical, emotional and social wellbeing, and that of their family too. The newly published priorities aim to direct future research toward the questions that matter most to those living with and managing the condition.
"The priorities have already been used to inform the early-years focus of Natasha's Prize, a £10 million investment by Natasha's Foundation (search) into global research to create a future without food allergy (search)," said Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE, founder of Natasha's Foundation, the UK's food allergy charity.
A Rigorous Consensus Process
The priority-setting process involved a multi-stage methodology designed to capture the perspectives of patients, carers, and clinicians. In a first national survey, over 2,500 questions were submitted by more than 900 people. The CAESAR team then identified 50 questions that had not previously been answered by existing research.
A second survey, completed by over 1,000 respondents, asked participants to identify their top 10 questions. After analysis, the field was narrowed to 25 questions. These were then debated at a final workshop involving 29 children, young people and adults with food allergy (search), parents and carers, and health professionals, where the definitive top 10 priorities were agreed upon.
Dr Roxanne Parslow, Research Fellow in Primary Care at the Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol and member of the CAESAR team, said: "We are delighted to share the results of our priority setting partnership with the wider community today. There are many unanswered questions about prevention, diagnosis and treatment of childhood food allergies. With publication of the top 10 research priorities, researchers and funders now have a resource to understand the needs of children living with food allergy (search) and how future research can be shaped to help meet those needs."
The Top 10 Priorities
The final list spans the full spectrum of food allergy (search) management, from prevention through to emergency care:
Prevention: What are the safest, most effective and cost-effective ways to prevent food allergy (search) in children?
Early Diagnosis: What is the most effective way to improve the early diagnosis and care of children with food allergy (search) in primary care and the community — including GP, health visitor, and dietitian support beyond total food allergen avoidance?
Treatment: What are the safest, most effective and cost-effective treatments for children with known food allergy (search), including immunotherapy, food ladders, and medication?
Cause: What factors increase the risk of a child developing food allergy (search) and influence whether food allergy gets worse or is outgrown?
Eating Out: How can eating out in restaurants and cafes be made safer and more inclusive for families with food allergies, through training, awareness, alternatives, allergy menus, and allergy ratings?
Safety in Care Settings: What is the most effective way to ensure that nurseries and schools support children with food allergy (search) and their families, including staff training, emergency medication access, inclusive meal planning, and allergen-free activities?
Impact: How does living with a food allergy (search) impact children, young people and their families, including eating disorders, nutrition, growth and development, quality of life, and social and emotional wellbeing?
Emergency Treatment: How can emergency treatment for anaphylaxis (search) be improved, for example through public awareness of, access to, and use of adrenaline/epinephrine?
Awareness: How can food allergy (search) awareness and education be improved in healthcare professionals and parents?
Treatment – Diet: What are the best ways to introduce food allergens to desensitise or build tolerance to treat children with food allergy (search), including age, dose, and frequency?
Immediate Impact on Research Funding
The priorities have already demonstrated tangible influence. Natasha's Foundation (search)'s £10 million Prize, which focuses on the first 1,000 days from conception to age two, was directly informed by the Partnership's findings. Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE noted: "The Partnership's findings have highlighted the need for research into the prevention and early-life origins of food allergy (search), helping to shape the theme of Natasha's Prize and support research with the potential to improve outcomes for future generations."
Professor Matthew Ridd, GP, Director of CAESAR and NIHR Research Professor at the Centre for Academic Primary Care, University of Bristol, said: "This research priority setting exercise will help funders of research and researchers focus on the things that matter to patients, their carers and the healthcare professionals who look after them. I'm delighted that the Natasha Foundation is already seeking to fund research to answer the top priority. I hope this is the first of many such opportunities, and the questions about the prevention, diagnosis and management of food allergy (search) will be answered."
Emily Mortimer, a young adult with food allergy (search) who took part in the study, captured the lived experience driving the research agenda: "Living with a food allergy affects every aspect of life. Understanding where and how food allergy impacts on wider wellbeing means we can appropriately support where it is needed. Together this could reduce how impactful allergies are on quality of life and empower young people to take back control."
The research was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (search) (NIHR) and supported by Allergy UK (search), Anaphylaxis UK (search), Natasha's Foundation (search), and Eczema Outreach Support (search).