FAAN and FAI Merge into FARE

by Kelley Lindberg


If you've been in the food allergy community for very long, you've discovered the amazing food allergy organizations FAAN (Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network) and FAI (Food Allergy Initiative). Today they've announced that the two organizations are merging. Here is the announcement letter that went to FAAN members, and it contains links to the press release and a questions and answers page, so be sure to visit those pages for more details.

The combined power, influence, and reach of these two fantastic organizations can only mean good things for the future of food allergy research, support, and advocacy.


Dear FAAN Supporter, 

Today we are pleased to announce the completion of the merger between FAAN and FAI. Our new organization, dedicated to food allergy research and education, will be known as FARE.

Building on the significant accomplishments of FAAN and FAI over the past two decades, FARE’s mission is to ensure the safety and inclusion of all individuals with food allergies while relentlessly seeking a cure. We will accomplish this by:

• Funding world-class research that advances treatment and understanding,
• Providing evidence-based education and resources,
• Undertaking advocacy at all levels of government, and
• Increasing awareness of food allergies as a serious public health issue.

Thanks to dedicated friends like you, FAAN and FAI have made great strides over the years. We are deeply grateful for your support, and proud of the progress we have made together. The merger comes at a crucial time in the national discourse around food allergies, and we look forward to continuing to partner with you as we work to advance research, education, advocacy and awareness.

We are happy to share that the executive leaders of FAAN and FAI, Maria Acebal and Mary Jane Marchisotto, will remain involved in the merged organization. Maria will serve as a senior advisor and a spokesperson for FARE. Mary Jane will serve as the senior vice president of research and operations, with a primary focus on growing the organization’s research portfolio.

Through the end of 2012, you will continue to see the names FAAN and FAI on our events, public communications and websites. FARE will debut its new logo and website, which will be located at www.foodallergy.org, in early 2013.

You can read more about today’s announcements in our press release and questions and answers page. We will continue to keep you informed of new developments at FARE by email, via social media and by posting information on our websites. We’re excited about our plans for FARE and look forward to sharing them with you.

Sincerely,



John L. Lehr
Chief Executive Officer



Todd J. Slotkin
Chairman

FAI’s Food Allergy Prevalence Study

by Kelley Lindberg


In 2008, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that 1 in every 25 children had a food allergy. Now, just three years later, a new survey sponsored by the Food Allergy Initiative (FAI) estimates that 8%, or 1 out of every 13 children, has a food allergy.

Published in the July 2011 issues of Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, this latest study analyzes interviews from over 38,000 households with at least 1 child under 18 years of age to discover “The Prevalence, Severity, and Distribution of Childhood Food Allergy in the United States.”

One out of every 13 children is an alarming number – that means 2 children in every classroom in the United States has a food allergy. This study verifies what many people in the food allergy community and in the medical profession have been feeling for some time – food allergies are increasing at an appalling rate.

Here are some of the other findings published in this study, published on FAI’s website:

• 38.7 percent of the children in the survey had a severe or life-threatening allergy
• 30.4 percent had multiple food allergies
• Children with food allergies were most commonly allergic to peanuts (25.2 percent), milk (21.1 percent) and shellfish (17.2 percent), followed by tree nuts (13.1 percent), and egg (9.8 percent)
• Severe reactions were most common among children with a tree nut, peanut, shellfish, soy, or fin fish allergy
• Children aged 14-17 years were most likely to have a severe food allergy
• Food allergies affect children in all geographic regions
• Asian and African American children were more likely to have a convincing history of food allergy, but were less likely to receive a formal diagnosis when compared to white children

While food allergy has been an increasing concern in the medical world, sparking a growing number of research projects and studies, this new study may help to propel even more projects into the funding spotlight. In addition to potential treatments and cures, research into the possible causes of food allergy, as well as identification of the individual protein molecules that cause reactions, will carry us much further towards a real understanding of this complex and frustratingly confusing disease.

In addition, the results of this survey may encourage more food manufacturers to examine their production processes and facilities for ways to more closely control cross-contamination with the major allergens. Especially for manufacturers of kid-oriented foods and snacks, knowing they are eliminating up to 8% of their potential customers by not adhering to strict allergen cross-contamination prevention may be just the catalyst they need to change their processes.

It would be easy to look at this study and see only the bad news: food allergies are becoming more wide-spread. But it’s important to look at the positive news this also represents: because food allergies are becoming so wide-spread, more researchers, manufacturers, chefs, teachers, doctors, coaches, colleagues, and neighbors will become committed to finding cures, treatments, safe practices, recipes, and other solutions to eliminating food allergy from our world sooner, rather than later.

Teach the Teachers with C.A.R.E.

by Kelley Lindberg


School is in full-swing now, but students aren’t the only ones learning. Teachers are also learning this year, thanks to a new online course called “How to C.A.R.E. for Students with Food Allergies – What Educators Should Know.”

This course was prepared through a collaboration of the Food Allergy Initiative (FAI), the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN), Anaphylaxis Canada, the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI), and Leap Learning Technologies. The course was funded by FAI, and the curriculum is based on FAAN’s well-respected Safe@School® program.

Available at http://www.allergyready.com/, the course helps educators (and anyone else who is interested, from day care providers to camp counselors) learn how to create an allergy-smart school environment, using the C.A.R.E. approach:

• Comprehend the basic facts about food allergies
• Avoid the allergen
• Recognize the symptom of a reaction, and
• Enact emergency protocol

The best part is, the online course is FREE. It takes less than an hour to go through the course, which covers everything from what a food allergy is, to how to spot allergy risks in the classroom or cafeteria, to how to use an epinephrine auto-injector.

The course is available for free to anyone who registers at http://www.allergyready.com/. So tell your school, preschool, or other organization about it today, and you might help save a life tomorrow.

I’ve already gone through the course myself, and it is simple to use, easy to understand, and comprehensive. So if you’re looking for a way to teach your child’s teachers about food allergies, give this online course a try.