The New Delaware Law aims to lower the rates of peanut and egg allergies in the next generation. The

goal is to provide early introduction to peanut and egg allergies in small amounts or in powdered form.

Working with doctors to achieve the goal of immunity is highly recommended for safety and

effectiveness.

New Delaware Law Aims to Reduce Peanut and Egg Allergies

To reduce cost—and stress—state legislators recently passed a bill with the goal of lowering the rates of peanut and egg allergies in the next generation.

December 10, 2025   |By Andrea Smith

Food allergies cost Delawareans thousands of dollars every year in medical expenses and allergen-free foods. To reduce this cost—and stress—state legislators recently passed a bill with the goal of lowering the rates of peanut and egg allergies in the next generation.

Starting in January 2026, Delaware law will require insurance providers to cover infant-safe peanut- and egg-allergen supplements that help prevent allergies from developing in small children by safely exposing babies as young as 4 months old to potential allergens to increase their tolerance.

Alana Jones, D.O., a pediatrician at Nemours Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, who is certified by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, agrees that introducing eggs and peanuts at a young age is critical.

“We know early introduction is important, but not everybody is doing it,” Jones says. “Sometimes kids outgrow allergies, [or] sometimes you can do things to improve [their tolerance], like oral immunotherapy, but there is no solid cure for a food allergy, so prevention is really important.”

For better nutritional value, Jones recommends cooked eggs, pureed or scrambled, and thinned peanut butter over a supplement powder but says she appreciates that over-the-counter powders provide a convenient alternative. “If a parent doesn’t have time or the finances to have these foods on a regular basis for their child, then I’d feel comfortable prescribing [a powder] so [that] the cost is not a factor and the time is not a factor,” she notes.

Not sure when to introduce an allergy supplement? It’s best to make a plan with your child’s pediatrician, Jones advises, as they’ll consider your child’s own development and family health history.

Organizations including Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) and the Allergy & Asthma Network praised the First State for being the first to pass this type of legislation. FARE reports that food allergies have become more prevalent over the last few decades, and peanuts and eggs are among the top allergens. Nearly 8% of children and 11% of adults have at least one food allergy, it points out.

State Rep. Kimberly Williams initiated the change to Delaware law in January 2024, when she sponsored House Bill 274. “I’m hoping that if other states start passing this, then we have the hope that the federal government will help pay for it,” she says, “because they’ll see that it is cheaper to do this…much cheaper for prevention than [it is to treat] a reaction.”