An Australian Consensus on Infant Feeding Guidelines to Prevent Food Allergy: Outcomes From the Australian Infant Feeding Summit

BACKGROUND: Infant feeding in the first postnatal year of life has an important role in an infant's risk of developing food allergy. Consumer infant feeding advice is diverse and lacks consistency. AIM: The Australian Infant Feeding Summit was held with the aim of achieving national consensus on the wording of guidelines for infant feeding and allergy prevention. METHODS: Two meetings were hosted by the Centre for Food and Allergy Research, the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy, and the Australian National Allergy Strategy. The first meeting of 30 allergy researchers, clinicians, and consumers assessed the evidence. The second consensus meeting involved 46 expert stakeholders including state and federal health care agencies, consumers, and experts in allergy, infant feeding, and population health. RESULTS: Partner stakeholders agreed on consensus wording for infant feeding advice: 1. When your infant is ready, at around 6 months, but not before 4 months, start to introduce a variety of solid foods, starting with iron-rich foods, while continuing breast-feeding. 2. All infants should be given allergenic solid foods including peanut butter, cooked egg, dairy, and wheat products in the first year of life. This includes infants at high risk of allergy. 3. Hydrolyzed (partially or extensively) infant formula is not recommended for the prevention of allergic disease. CONCLUSIONS: Consensus was achieved in a context in which there is a high prevalence of food allergy. Guidelines for other countries are being updated. Provision of consistent wording related to infant feeding to reduce food allergy risk will ensure clear consumer advice. (C) 2017 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology