Food allergy is a serious disease affecting more than 33 million people in the U.S. This potentially deadly disease affects one in every 13 children in the U.S., or roughly two in every classroom. Furthermore, many more people are living with food allergy today than ever before, and with more severe consequences. Food allergy prevalence among children has been increasing for decades—up by 50 percent between 1997 and 2011, and again up by 50 percent between 2007 and 2021.

Over the past several decades, rates of food-induced anaphylaxis and related health care use have sharply increased. U.S. commercial insurance claims listing a diagnosis of anaphylaxis increased by 377 percent from 2007 to 2016. The increasing impact of food allergy is being felt in schools, playgrounds, restaurants, workplaces and emergency care facilities and constitutes a growing public health issue with substantial financial, educational and medical implications.

However, the federal government’s commitment to identifying food allergy causes and treatments has not kept pace with the increasing incidence of food allergies, particularly among the youngest Americans, and the impact of this life-threatening disease on patients, the health care system, and society. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is currently spending $78 million annually on food allergy or $102 per person living in the United States. But of that $102, less than one quarter ($0.25) is directed toward food allergy research.

For Fiscal Year 2027, FARE has requested $18.2 million for the Consortium of Food Allergy Research (CoFAR) and report language directing CoFAR to support for additional food allergy clinical trials and related translational studies through the existing CoFAR network and qualified collaborating institutions with demonstrated expertise in food allergy research and patient engagement. This increase of $6.1 million above the FY25 enacted level reflects the increasing rate of food allergies in America. Importantly, this investment will fund groundbreaking research that gets us closer to fully understanding, treating, and ultimately curing food allergies. The additional funding is intended to accelerate the initiation and completion of new clinical trials, expand patient participation, and strengthen collaboration with established research organizations and clinical partners that can support efficient trial execution and translation of findings to patient care.

Additionally, FARE has requested $5.5 million for the CDC’s Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion account for school-based efforts to address food allergies and anaphylactic reactions. This increase would support an expansion of the CDC’s school-based efforts to address food allergies and reduce potentially anaphylactic reactions.

FARE has also requested Congress to direct the National Science Foundation to prioritize interdisciplinary research on the genetic and biological mechanisms of food allergy and for the U.S. Defense Health Program to maintain “food allergies” on the list of conditions eligible for research under the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP).