Merger forms largest private allergen research funding body

The two USA-based consumer groups The Food Allergy Initiative and The Food Allergy Project have each worked towards increasing public awareness of the severity of life-threatening food allergies, empower advocates and provide family support groups for several years. Given their mutual goals, the organisations say they often found themselves working in partnership on many important research and advocacy initiatives. They have now announced a merger of the two groups, which will continue under the Food Allergy Initiative name.

In combination, the two groups say they have already contributed more than $60 million to basic scientific research and educational efforts. The new entity will represent the largest private source of funding for food allergy research in the US, and they will use their position to advocate the federal government and private sources to collaborate in search of a cure for food allergy.

The Food Allergy Initiative was founded in 1998 by concerned parents and grandparents to support basic and; clinical research worldwide; better public policies to make the world safer for those afflicted; and educational programs to make the hospitality industry, schools, day care centers, and camps safer.

The Food Allergy Project is a national coalition of parents, researchers, educators and experts who joined together to advocate for increased federal resources dedicated to food allergy research and to fund scientific studies that will lead to a cure.

To learn more, go to www.faiusa.org.