Food Allergy Awareness Week

In 1997, FAAN created Food Allergy Awareness Week to educate others about food allergies.

Mark your calendars for the 12th annual Food Allergy Awareness Week, to be held May 10-16, 2009.

The 11th annual Food Allergy Awareness Week was held May 11-17, 2008. It was a great success! Thousands of people all over the country spread the word about Food Allergies: Living and Learning. FAAN members across the country raised awareness of food allergies in ways both great and small. Our heartfelt thanks to all of you for helping us educate others.

Here are some highlights:

• Twenty-five governors signed FAAW proclamations: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, and Virginia.
• Newspapers across the country ran articles about FAAW and food allergies. Check out FAAN in the News to read a few.
• Sen. Chris Dodd (D.-Conn.) introduced a Senate Resolution to recognize the week beginning May 11, 2008, as “National Food Allergy Awareness Week.” Watch a public service announcement by Sen. Dodd and Jackie Clegg Dodd about their support for Food Allergy Awareness Week.
• The National Institutes of Health issued a statement in honor of FAAW. Read this statement, signed by Dr. Daniel Rotrosen, Director of the Division of Allergy, Immunology and Transplantation of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Director of NIAID.
• FAAN celebrated FAAW on Capitol Hill. At an educational briefing on May 13, FAAN unveiled a new advocacy initiative, “Five Steps Forward for Food Allergy,” aimed at improving the lives of Americans with food allergies.
• On May 14, FAAN staff attended a Senate hearing on food allergy chaired by Sen. Dodd in honor of FAAW. During the hearing, Sen. Dodd and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) heard testimony from Dr. Fauci, Dr. Sampson, parents, and a school nurse about public policy changes needed to keep children safe.

How did you raise awareness? Please send pictures and descriptions of what you and others did to observe Food Allergy Awareness Week to FAAW@foodallergy.org. Thanks to all who participated. By working together, we are making a difference.

A special thanks to our 2008 sponsors.

Questions? Go here for more information about FAAW 2008.