Peanuts, the Immune System, and Food Safety: Assaying Commercial Products for Peanut Residues in a Remote Hands-On Activity

Abstract

In an age-appropriate remote learning activity developed by a researcher-teacher team, junior high school students learned about the link between human health and food safety. The students were introduced to basic concepts about the innate immune system and food safety through a learning activity that focused on peanut allergens in food products. The students (a) learned how to distinguish between the concepts of immunity and allergy; (b) learned about cross-contamination and the link between allergies and food safety; (c) learned what antibodies are and how they can be used for science; (d) applied basic knowledge about the immune system and food safety to screen for peanut residues in suspect non-peanut food products using a commercial test kit; and (e) applied basic knowledge about the immune system and food safety to create individual poster presentations on other types of allergies, such as soy or dairy allergies.