U.S. regulators ponder ban on airline peanuts

SAVANNAH, Ga. - Federal regulators are considering a snack attack on the nation's airlines that would restrict or even completely ban serving peanuts on commercial flights.

Advocates say the move would ease fears and potential harm to an estimated 1.8 million Americans who suffer from peanut allergies.

Peanut farmers and food packagers, however, see it as overreaching and unfair to their legume.

"The peanut is such a great snack and such an American snack," said Martin Kanan, chief executive of Ohio's King Nut Companies, which packages the peanuts served by most U.S. airlines. "What's next? Is it banning peanuts in ballparks?"

Continental, United, US Airways and JetBlue have voluntarily stopped serving packaged peanuts. Delta and Southwest still offer them. American Airlines doesn't serve packaged peanuts, but it does offer trail mix and other snacks with peanut ingredients.

Twelve years after Congress ordered it to back off peanuts, even threatening to cut its budget, the U.S. Transportation Department gave notice last week that it is gathering feedback from allergy sufferers, medical experts, the food industry and the public on whether to ban or restrict in-flight peanuts.

Peanut allergy can cause life-threatening reactions in people who ingest even trace amounts. For some, just breathing peanut dust can cause such problems as itching, sneezing and coughing.

A few limited studies on airline passengers with peanut allergies found several people reporting symptoms while flying, but few were severe, said Dr. Scott Sicherer, who studies food allergies at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.