Feb 19, 2026 By Brad Hundt 4 min read

CANONSBURG – Any parent or guardian who has dropped a child off at a school or child care center has seen the signs.

They warn against bringing peanut products into the building or having your child distribute them as treats. To older adults who grew up with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches as a daily lunch staple, the injunctions might seem a little over the top, but they are entirely warranted.

Food allergies have increased by 50% since the 1990s, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the number of peanut and tree nut allergies has skyrocketed by 300%. Children are more prone to food allergies than they were generations ago, with eggs being another culprit.

“It’s a lifelong, dangerous situation for children,” according to state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, whose district includes all of Washington and Greene counties and a portion of Beaver County. The senator hosted a public hearing of the state Senate Majority Policy Committee at the offices of Arc of Washington County in Canonsburg Tuesday to talk about food allergies and possible ways to stem the growing problem.

The toll of food allergies is considerable. It’s estimated that close to 500 people go to emergency rooms every day across the country after having had an allergic reaction to something they ate, and families of a child with a peanut allergy pay more than $7,000 per year in costs related to it. Researchers have been trying to pinpoint the reason for the increase in food allergies, but have not come up with any definitive answers. Some theorize the detergents we use are too strong, we are eating certain foods at the wrong time of day, and even that children are “too clean” and not exposed to germs and bacteria, causing their immune systems to overreact to certain types of food.

“The short answer is, we don’t know,” according to Dr. Jonathan Spergel, who leads the allergy program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Spergel was one of a handful of experts who testified before the committee in person or online.

Bartolotta has introduced a bill in the state Senate that would require insurance coverage at no cost for early peanut and egg introduction dietary supplements for infants. Studies have shown that the supplements could prevent more than 80% of peanut and egg allergies.

Bartolotta said “too many children are developing lifelong food allergies that could have been prevented.” She added giving families access to early interventions “will improve childhood health, lower long-term health care costs and support Pennsylvania agriculture at the same time.”

Dr. Kelly Cleary, the medical director and vice president of health and education for the group Food Allergy Research and Education, said she has a son with a food allergy, and as a result they have to “meticulously read labels” on food they purchase and that “dining outside your home is really hard.”

“He has yet to have a piece of birthday cake or cupcake at any party other than his own,” Cleary said. “It is personal experience that drives my advocacy.”

Food allergies can be particularly tough for families in rural areas, Dr. Mary Claire Maninang-Ocampo of Penn Highlands Pediatrics told the committee. Seeing a pediatric allergist can often involve a drive of an hour or more and sometimes waiting lists for appointments can be long.

If the bill Bartolotta introduced makes it through the General Assembly and is signed by Gov. Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania will be following in the footsteps of Delaware, which on Jan. 1 became the first state in the country to require insurance coverage for the allergy-prevention dietary supplements.