Food Allergy Facts - Awareness Week, Day 1

May 13th-19th is Food Allergy Awareness Week.

Each day this week I will share some food allergy facts. Please pass them on and share them with your audiences so that we can get the message out about food allergies. Much of what I will be sharing I learned at a recent press editorial roundtable, hosted by the Food Allergy Initiative.

Today's food allergy facts:

Food allergies continue to grow at an alarming rate:

• A 2007 CDC study estimated that over 12 million Americans including 1 in 25 children, had a food allergy.
• The most recent research (based on a study funded by FAI and published by Northwestern University in 2011) shows that up to 15 million Americans have food allergies including 1 in every 13 children (or 8% of children).

The average classroom of 25-30 students now has two children with food allergies.