Assembly Concurrent Resolution
No. 189
CHAPTER 95
Relative to food allergy awareness.
[
Filed with
Secretary of State
June 05, 2024.
]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 189, Wallis.
Food allergy awareness.
This measure would encourage all Californians to make themselves and their families aware of the risk of food allergies and preventative measures, and to educate themselves regarding emergency responses. The measure would declare May as Food Allergy Awareness Month.
Digest Key
Fiscal Committee:
NO WHEREAS, As many as 33 million people in the United States have a food allergy; and
WHEREAS, Research indicates that the prevalence of food allergies is increasing among children, and finds that 5.6 million children under 18 years of age, roughly two in every classroom, have a food allergy; and
WHEREAS, The nine foods that cause 90 percent of all food allergy reactions in the United States are shellfish, fish, milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, wheat, and sesame; and
WHEREAS, A food allergy occurs when the immune system mistakenly targets a harmless food protein, an allergen, as a threat and attacks it, releasing abnormally large amounts of antibodies that fight the food allergens, which in turn trigger the symptoms of an allergic reaction; and
WHEREAS, Symptoms of a food allergy can include a tingling sensation in the mouth, swelling of the tongue and throat, difficulty breathing, hives, vomiting, a drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness, or death; and
WHEREAS, Consumption of a food allergen may lead to anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal condition in which several different parts of the body experience the allergic reaction and can, within minutes of exposure, lead to difficulty breathing and unconsciousness; and
WHEREAS, Zacky Muñoz, a California student and food allergy champion 12 years of age, continues to lead the charge in helping to improve the landscape in California schools for children with food allergies; and
WHEREAS, There is no cure for a food allergy, only epinephrine intervention, and the only sure way to avoid a reaction is to exercise strict avoidance of an allergen; and
WHEREAS, Education, resources, and investing in research that advances treatment and understanding of food allergies are the key to keeping individuals with food allergies safe; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate thereof concurring, That all Californians be encouraged to make themselves and their families aware of the risk of food allergies and preventative measures, and to educate themselves regarding emergency responses; and be it further
Resolved, That May is Food Allergy Awareness Month; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.