The clarification came following erroneous articles in two national dailies reporting the interim findings of research not due to be published in full until August.

Immunologists at Southampton General Hospital and University of Southampton are working on this initial study and have also secured the commission from the FSA for a larger three-year research project. Jane Lucas is the lead researcher. 'Dr Lucas told us in January that from her very early findings, she felt a bigger study was necessary,' said an FSA spokeswoman. 'In the meantime, we have commissioned that larger piece of work. Dr Lucas presented a paper on her interim findings from the first small study at a conference in Paris last week. There is not a lot more we can say at this stage because we will not have the final report until August and we certainly have not issued any alerts to parents warning them not to give the fruit to children.' However, the early findings reported by the Southampton team have raised concerns about the dangers to children often with histories of allergies to other foods such as peanuts, milk and eggs to the fruit.

It is hoped final research will reveal whether the rise in numbers of people presenting with allergic reactions to the fruit is because susceptibility is increasing or because consumption of kiwifruit is on the rise.

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