“What caused the prevalent onset of peanut allergies?” I read several years back that over 90% of all peanuts are now infested with some sort of fungus — aflatoxin? — that was unheard of several decades ago. The kids with those nasty peanut allergies are actually reacting to the aflatoxin present in virtually all peanut products. That said, no four-year-old should be dragged along to a y public place if he hasn’t been fed beforehand or can’t go more than an hour or two without having to be fed. And a PBJ sandwich is a lousy choice for public consumption by a messy toddler.
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Aflatoxin has been common for a century.
Soils are loaded with fungi everywhere.