Turns out a special-interest group has used unsound science and panic to get legislation for its pet issue. the most visible case of that is the global arming alarmism pushed by such charlatans as Al Gore. But there’s also the food-allergy panic, especially the Killer Peanut scare:

But on closer examination, food allergies are not the epidemic we’ve been led to believe. FAAN’s advocacy may have helped to create rules and laws that are based less on sound science than on a significant misrepresentation of facts. Ironically, by accepting these facts, we may be increasing our risk of developing food allergies.