WHEREAS, more than 33 million Americans are impacted with at least one food allergy, including nearly six million children under the age of 18; and

WHEREAS, research indicates that the prevalence of food allergies continues to increase among both children and adults, with disproportionately higher increases observed within Black and Hispanic communities; and

WHEREAS, nine foods account for approximately 90 percent of all food allergy reactions in the United States—milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, sesame, fish, and crustacean shellfish—and such reactions can vary in severity from mild symptoms to severe, potentially life-threatening reactions such as anaphylaxis; and

WHEREAS, every ten seconds in the United States, a patient is treated in the emergency department for a food allergy reaction, often resulting from the unintentional consumption of food containing an allergen; and

WHEREAS, emergency medical treatment for severe food allergy reactions has increased by 377 percent over the past decade, and food allergies place a substantial financial burden on families, with low-income households disproportionately affected; and

WHEREAS, the Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE) is a national nonprofit organization committed to improving the quality of life and health of individuals with food allergies and advancing hope through the promise of new treatments and research advancements;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Abigail D. Spanberger, do hereby recognize May 10-16, 2026, as FOOD ALLERGY AWARENESS WEEK in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.