FARE Awarded Three-Year Grant from the CDC to Raise Awareness of the Disease of Food Allergy

McLEAN, Va.—November 21, 2024—FARE (Food Allergy Research and Education), the leading nonprofit organization engaged in food allergy education and advocacy—and the largest provider of charitable support for food allergy research in the U.S.—today announced it is the recipient of a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that will fund FARE’s Food Allergy AWARE project, aimed at raising awareness of the growing prevalence, societal cost, and burden of food allergy as a potentially life-threatening, chronic disease.

An estimated 33 million people in the U.S. live with the disease of food allergy, a figure that continues to grow without a clear understanding of what is driving increases in prevalence and even severity. Meanwhile, there is an ongoing shortage of allergists, and data that suggests primary care providers (PCPs) are not well equipped to deliver needed patient care. 

Food Allergy AWARE will help create a public health environment where people with food allergy receive better care, are referred to specialty care more quickly when needed, receive appropriate and timely prescription of rescue medication, and feel safer in their communities.  

“Building awareness is foundational to unlocking more research funding, fostering innovation, improving patient access to care, and empowering those managing food allergies,” said Sung Poblete, PhD, RN, CEO of FARE. “Growing incidences of food allergy means that we need better disease surveillance and more data, and healthcare providers need the latest information to support prevention and disease management. Coupled with a new treatment option and epinephrine delivery system coming on the scene, there is an urgent need to expand education and awareness. FARE’s Food Allergy AWARE initiative will ultimately ensure better support for those living with food allergies.” 

The three-year initiative will create and distribute a report on the state of food allergy in the U.S. to public health professionals, deploy a national campaign to address myths and misconceptions about food allergy, and arm primary care clinicians with information and tools to help them more effectively manage care for food allergy patients. 

In order to support those goals, FARE has created a Food Allergy AWARE Advisory Council to provide guidance and input on relevant chronic disease surveillance and data collection activities among other objectives. The Advisory Council is comprised of members of FARE’s Education & Support Team and other notable organizations engaged through FARE’s established collaborative network. The FARE Clinical Network (FCN), a nationwide consortium of more than fifty-five academic medical centers, and the FARE Neighborhoods Initiative, a network of schools, community organizations, healthcare providers, community health workers, and volunteers in seven cities will also play a role. 

The grant is provided through the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) which helps people and communities prevent and manage chronic diseases and promotes health and wellness for all.