Oral Food Challenge

An oral food challenge is a supervised feeding test in our office. It is used when the history and the allergy tests do not answer whether a food is safe to eat. A positive skin test only shows sensitization. It does not always mean the food will cause a reaction.

Also used to verify if food allergies have been outgrown, and to expand restrictive diets.

Safety is the absolute foundation of our feeding protocols. You ingest gradually increasing amounts of the food at strict time intervals, while under medical supervision. The visit takes time, because each step is followed by an observation period. Emergency medicines are available as aprecaution. Most challenges are to see if a food that was avoided can be added back, or to confirm a reaction that the tests left unclear.

Do not try this at home. A challenge is only scheduled after a visit, and only for a food your provider has chosen. Antihistamines and some other medicines have to be held beforehand. The scheduler will tell you what to stop (or click here), what to bring, and how long to plan to be here.

Children and adults are seen.

Schedule Appointment

No referral is needed. Call the office you want to be seen at.