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FAAN’s Blue Carpet Boston Celebration Hosted by FAAN Hero Chef Ming Tsai

Celebrity Chef on the Forefront of Food Allergy Awareness Efforts  

FAIRFAX, Va. (April 28, 2011) – FAAN™ (the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network) is thrilled to join chef and FAAN Ambassador Who Cares Ming Tsai at his acclaimed restaurant, Blue Ginger, for a special Blue Carpet Boston Celebration during the 14th Annual Food Allergy Awareness Week (FAAW), May 8-14.

The Blue Carpet Boston Celebration, which will be held on May 11, will be hosted by Tsai, whose son was diagnosed with food allergies as a child. Tsai was instrumental in the passage of Massachusetts’s groundbreaking restaurant food allergy awareness law, which is intended to help make dining out safer for individuals with food allergies. During this celebration, Tsai will share his East-West approach to life and food for the benefit of FAAN and the food allergy community.

“It is fitting that FAAN’s theme for the year is ‘Be a FAAN Hero,’ because Chef Ming’s exhaustive efforts to improve food allergy awareness have truly been heroic,” said Julie Birkey, member of FAAN’s Board of Directors and mother of a child with food allergies. “We look forward to spending part of FAAW with him and others who are equally invested in helping the food allergy community.”

Tsai has recorded a video regarding the new Massachusetts law, which requires restaurants to display a food allergy awareness poster (developed by FAAN) in the staff area and include a notice on menus and menu boards that instructs patrons to inform their servers if they have a food allergy. The new law also requires food allergy training for certified food protection managers via the video featuring Tsai, along with an optional accompanying training manual available for free at www.foodallergy.org, FAAN's Welcoming Guests with Food Allergies.

“I’m pleased to join together with FAAN in this cause, which is so important for the safety of millions of people who live with life-threatening food allergies,” Tsai said. “I hope others will be inspired to act on our lead and make an impact by educating themselves and raising awareness about food allergies.”

The Blue Carpet Boston Celebration will benefit FAAN’s vital awareness, advocacy, education, and research programs.

For more information on FAAN’s Blue Carpet Boston Celebration, please visit www.foodallergyevents.org. For ways to get involved with FAAW, please visit www.foodallergy.org/section/food-allergy-awareness-week11.

About FAAN

Founded in 1991, the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (FAAN) is the world leader in information, resources, and programs for food allergy, a potentially life-threatening medical condition that afflicts as many as 15 million Americans, including almost 6 million children. A nonprofit organization based in Fairfax, Va., FAAN is dedicated to increasing public awareness of food allergy and its consequences, to educating people about the condition, and to advancing research on behalf of all those affected by it. FAAN provides information and educational resources about food allergy to patients, their families, schools, health professionals, pharmaceutical companies, the food industry, and government officials. On May 9, 2012, FAAN announced its intent to merge with the other leading food allergy organization, the Food Allergy Initiative, pending state regulatory approval. To become a member or for more information, please visit FAAN at www.foodallergy.org.

Media Contact

Nancy Gregory
Media Relations
(703) 563-3066
E-mail: ngregory@foodallergy.org