Food Allergy Rates Rise Among Active-Duty Troops

A study of US military service members from 2017 to 2024 finds food allergy prevalence climbed from about 1.8% to 2.4%.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Allergies

Isometric editorial illustration of a whole peanut on a cream plate beside an olive-drab military canteen on a slate blue surface, evoking food allergy concerns in the armed forces. — Food allergy rates among active-duty U.S. service members climbed from about 1.8% in 2017 to 2.4% in 2024, a study published Oct. 29 found. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Should the military loosen its rules to let more people with food allergies serve?

Researchers analyzed Defense Medical Surveillance System data on active-duty US service members from 2017 to 2024, finding food allergy prevalence rose from about 1.8% in 2017 to 2.4% in 2024. The study was published online October 29 in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

Why it matters

The authors suggest that current military accession policy warrants reassessment and possible revision given the rising prevalence. The findings matter for readers and policymakers interested in how food allergy affects a large, deployable workforce.

Food allergy incidence ranged from 323.6 per 100,000 person-years in 2020 to 483.6 in 2024, based on Defense Medical Surveillance System records covering 1,406,059 to 1,480,894 active-duty members annually. The study does not identify the underlying causes of the increase.

The players

Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice

A peer-reviewed clinical journal published by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology that covers practical allergy and immunology care.

Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland

A joint military installation in San Antonio, Texas, home to a medical center affiliated with the study's corresponding author.

The details

From 2017 to 2024, food allergy accounted for 34,810 outpatient visits, 4,275 emergency department visits, and 143 hospitalizations at home duty stations. Of the emergency visits, 3.35% required inpatient care, and seven medical evacuations related to food allergy occurred during deployments over eight years.

2017: Study period begins with food allergy prevalence at about 1.8%.
2020: Lowest annual food allergy incidence rate recorded in the study.
2024: Highest annual incidence rate recorded, with prevalence at 2.4%.
October 29, 2026: Study published online in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice.

Health Landscape

The study uses the Defense Medical Surveillance System, a longitudinal military health record, to track food allergy across an active-duty force of roughly 1.4 million. Its findings add a population-level trend line to the broader question of how food allergy is changing in working-age adults.

For people with food allergies, the study underscores how frequently allergic reactions require emergency care and, less often, hospitalization. Readers managing food allergy may find the reported rates of emergency and inpatient care useful context when discussing risk with a clinician.

The takeaway

Rising rates of food allergy in a large, working-age population point to the value of tracking allergy trends over time. Understanding how often reactions become emergencies can help individuals and institutions plan for safer care.