The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) (FAAN) is the world’s largest non-profit organization dedicated to food allergy awareness, education, research, and advocacy, and provides information, programs, and resources about food allergies and anaphylaxis. The organization was founded in 1991 to serve as a clearinghouse for food allergy information, by a parent whose own daughter was diagnosed with milk and egg allergy.

The Fairfax, Va.-based organization has approximately 23,000 members in the U.S. and overseas. Members are individuals, families, health care professionals, school and camp staff, child care providers, corporations, policymakers, organizations, institutions, and members of the pharmaceutical and food industries.

Information disseminated by FAAN, whether on its website or through its newsletters, is reviewed for accuracy by its Medical Advisory Board, composed of the world’s leading medical authorities in the area of food allergy science.

In early 2010, FAAN received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for sound fiscal management, for the third year in a row.
FAAN’s activities are centered around its four mission points: to raise public awareness, to provide advocacy and education, and to advance research on behalf of those affected by food allergy and anaphylaxis.

FAAN’s websites (www.foodallergy.org, www.faanteen.org, www.faankids.org, www.foodallergywalk.org, www.foodallergyevents.org, www.faancollegenetwork.org) provide educational information about food allergies, recipes, legislative and research updates as well as free resources for patients, parents, teachers, and restaurateurs.

Awareness

Through media, and awareness programs, FAAN helps people better understand the daily challenges of managing food allergies.
Several celebrities are working to bring national recognition both to FAAN and to the cause of food allergies. FAAN’s Ambassadors include:

• Frank Dicopoulos
  Frank Dicopoulos
  Frank Dicopoulos is an American actor. He is the oldest of three children. Dicopoulos played the role of Frank Achilles Cooper Jr...
  
   — actor who has channeled his efforts to raise awareness and has gotten involved with FAAN’s Walk for Food Allergy event in Long Branch, NJ.
• Chris Dodd — Senator (D-Conn.) until 2011 who is a strong supporter of food allergy awareness, and has been working with FAAN to educate others about food allergies. Sen. Dodd is co-sponsor of the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Management Act.
• Jackie Clegg Dodd — wife of Senator Chris Dodd who has support FAAN and food allergy awareness through serving as the Honorary Chair for FAAN’s Walk for Food Allergy in Hartford, CT.
• Janice Lieberman — journalist and author who’s served as the Honorary Chair for FAAN’s Walk for Food Allergy in Long Branch, NJ.
• Adam Pascal
  Adam Pascal
  Adam Pascal is an American actor and singer known for his performance as Roger Davis in the original cast of Jonathan Larson's musical Rent on Broadway 1996, the 2005 movie version of the musical, and the Broadway Tour of Rent in 2009...
  
   — recording artist and Broadway star who believes in families educating themselves as best as they can about food allergies.
• Cybele Pascal — writer of award-winning food allergy-friendly cookbooks, including The Allergen-Free Baker’s Handbook and The Whole Foods Allergy Cookbook.
• Luke Pilgrim — singer, songwriter, and front man of former pop rock band Last November. Pilgrim has become a prime example of a public figure affect by food allergies, however, he has not let the various challenges related to his condition stop him from accomplishing his dream.
• Dominique Sasche — “Houston’s Hometown” anchor and member of the KPRC Local 2 news team who has focused her charitable efforts on causes related to food allergies. Her partnership with FAAN is especially meaningful, as her 5-year-old son, Styles, recently outgrew his allergy to milk.
• Brian Thompson
  Brian Thompson
  Brian Thompson is an American actor.Brian Thompson may also refer to:*Brian Thompson , reporter and anchorman for WNBC-TV*Brian Thomson , senior correspondent for SBS World News *Brian B. Thompson, British writer...
  
   — award-winning New Jersey reporter of WNBC 4 New York who is an active supporter of FAAN, having served as the 2009 Emcee for the Walk for Food Allergy in Long Branch, NJ.
• Ming Tsai
  Ming Tsai
  Ming Tsai is a Chinese-American fusion cuisine chef, restaurateur, and Emmy Award-winning television personality.Tsai currently hosts Ming's Quest, a cooking show featured on the Fine Living Network, and Simply Ming on American Public Television...
  
  — celebrated chef who’s worked extensively with FAAN to advocate for individuals with food allergies in restaurants.

In 2010, 37 states recognized Food Allergy Awareness Week, an initiative FAAN began in 1998, with official proclamations. The organization has also raised awareness through numerous newspaper and magazine articles, television reports, and fundraising events across the U.S., such as the Walk for Food Allergy: Moving Toward a Cure.

Advocacy

FAAN advocates for national, state and local policies that have a positive impact on members of the food allergy community. On the national level, FAAN was instrumental in passing the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA), in 2004. As a result of FALCPA, the presence of major food allergens (milk, egg, wheat, soy, fish, shellfish, peanuts, and tree nuts) must be indicated, in simple terms, on packaged food items. At the state level, FAAN has helped enact policies in more than 30 states that make epinephrine (adrenaline) more available from Emergency Medical Services, has helped create food allergy management guidelines for schools in more than ten states, and spearheaded a new law in Massachusetts designed to help raise awareness of food allergy among restaurant staff. On a local level, FAAN has helped summer camps, child care centers, recreational facilities, colleges/universities, and public/private schools develop policies and approaches with the food allergy community in mind.

Education

FAAN staff conduct seminars and training sessions on food allergy and anaphylaxis for patients, school staff, government officials, health professionals, restaurant and industry leaders, and other policymakers. FAAN also publishes a bimonthly newsletter for its members, a bimonthly newsletter for children, an electronic newsletter for teens, a quarterly newsletter for physicians, a biannual newsletter for school nurses, and a quarterly corporate bulletin. FAAN has also published several cookbooks, a series of children’s books, and videos/DVDs.

Research

There is no cure for food allergy yet, but research is being conducted throughout the world to find a cure or therapies for food allergy. Since the inception of its donor-funded Research Grant Program, FAAN has committed more than $4.6 million to scientists studying various areas of food allergy and anaphylaxis. FAAN has partnered with the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to fund the Exploratory Investigations in Food Allergy program to encourage researchers to move into the field of food allergy. FAAN also initiates research and surveys its members on various quality of life issues.

The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Alliance

FAAN is the founding member of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Alliance, an international alliance of patient education groups that collaborate on food allergy issues from a more global perspective. In 2010, the Alliance held its tenth annual meeting, and attracted participation from both the World Health Organization and the World Allergy Organization. Currently, the Alliance comprises 14 members representing 13 countries.