WHEREAS, As many as 32,000,000 Americans have a food allergy; and

WHEREAS, Research indicates that the prevalence of food allergies is increasing among children and adults. Nearly 6,000,000 children under 18 years of age have a food allergy; and

WHEREAS, The nine foods cause the majority of all food allergy reactions in the United States are shellfish, fish, milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, soy, wheat, and sesame; and

WHEREAS, Symptoms of a food allergy reaction can include hives, vomiting, diarrhea, respiratory distress, and swelling of the throat; and

WHEREAS, Anaphylaxis is a serious allergic reaction that is rapid in onset and may cause death; and

WHEREAS, According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, food allergies result in more than 200,000 ambulatory care visits each year for children under 18 years of age. Reactions typically occur when an individual unknowingly eats a food containing an ingredient to which they are allergic; and

WHEREAS, In California, the number of anaphylactic food allergy reactions is up over 300 percent, and out of those reactions, 66 percent affect our most vulnerable population: individuals 18 years of age and under; and

WHEREAS, There is no cure for a food allergy, and scientists do not understand why. Strict avoidance of the offending food is the only way to prevent an allergic reaction; and

WHEREAS, Research suggests that more than one-half of fatal food allergy reactions are triggered by food consumed outside the home. Because epinephrine is the first line of treatment for anaphylaxis, as it is the only medication that can stop an allergic reaction, epinephrine should be readily available and easily accessible in public venues, such as schools and camps; and

WHEREAS, The economic burden that is placed on families of individuals with food allergies is mostly composed of the cost of office visits for prescription renewal or diagnosis, which accounts for 52 percent of the cost burden, and emergency room visits, which accounts for 20 percent of the cost burden. The remainder of the economic burden is split between the costs of inpatient hospitalization, outpatient visits, ambulance runs, and epinephrine; and

WHEREAS, The rate of secondary anaphylactic reactions in known food allergy sufferers occurs more commonly in the rural and urban areas of California; and

WHEREAS, Food Allergy Research and Education (FARE), Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT), Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA), and Allergy and Asthma Network are national nonprofit organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life and the health of individuals with food allergies and to providing them hope through the promise of new treatments; now, therefore, be it