The Baby Feeding Project

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Preventing food allergy in infants with early introduction of complementary feeding: feasibility and cluster randomised controlled trial

• IRAS ID

  351201

• Contact name

  Graham Roberts

• Contact email

  g.c.roberts@soton.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  4 years, 6 months, 0 days

• Research summary

  Background: Around 1-in-20 UK pre-school children have food allergies. These may be life-long. Allergic reactions sometimes require an adrenaline injection. They may be life-threatening. Forty-years ago, parents/carers first gave babies solids around 17-weeks-of-age (complementary feeding). Then healthcare professionals (HCP) recommended solids were delayed until 6-months. Recent large trials show that introducing solid foods before 6-months-of-age can prevent food allergies. However, UK parents/carers often don’t introduce solids early for many reasons. A new approach to support parents/carers to introduce complementary food earlier needs to be developed and assessed. We have been working with parents and HCP to produce an early solids feeding approach using frequent, small amounts of egg and peanut from 17-weeks.
  Objectives of the research: To prevent children developing food allergies by: (1) assessing ease and convenience of the approach, (2) assessing whether the approach can reduce food allergies and (3) is affordable, and (4) plan its use across the NHS.
  Methods: (1) Test out the new approach to allergy prevention with a diverse group of parents, carers and healthcare professionals and make any improvements, with 200 parents and carers in four diverse areas in the North-East and South-Coast; then (2) 3000 parents and carers from across UK will have an equal chance of receiving the new advice to introduce solids from 17-weeks or from around 6-months. We will see whether early introduction reduces food allergies at 12-months of age and (3) is affordable. Food allergy will be diagnosed using the usual NHS approach (history, skin, blood tests or food challenge).
  Impact: If parents start to introduce solids earlier, the number of babies who develop food allergy will be markedly reduced. This will positively impact families, NHS and society.

• REC name

  East of England - Cambridge South Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  25/EE/0067

• Date of REC Opinion

  4 Apr 2025

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion