Fall Momentum Update Leading Into OctoberFARE, Our Signature Annual Event

Good afternoon,  

We are reaching out to you as FARE’s Board of Directors, together with Sung Poblete, PhD, RN, CEO, to give you and our entire FARE community a comprehensive snapshot of what this organization has achieved. We also boldly affirm our commitment to leading the charge everywhere there is an opportunity to advance the needs of those living with and managing food allergy.  

There is no group more acutely aware than this community of the education that is needed to advance research funding, spur innovation, improve access to medications, achieve ingredient and menu transparency, and ultimately, save lives.  

Elevating food allergy to a top-tier public health concern has been our overarching priority because through that all our other objectives are achieved. As part of our three-year strategy, FARE has made meaningful progress. Major highlights include many of the following:  

Advocacy and Policy Leadership

FARE has represented our community at national and international-level meetings at the intersection of regulatory science, research, and advocacy with the White House; the National Institutes of Health (NIH); the Food and Drug Administration (FDA); the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP); and others.

This week, FARE is attending the Global Forum on Anaphylaxis and Food Allergy (GAFA) event in Italy, invited as part of an effort to advance public health solutions for food allergy at this premier gathering of leaders shaping the future of health. At last year’s event, FARE was included in providing input into the international guidelines for defining anaphylaxis.

FARE’s advocacy strategy led to the House including requested language in the FY26 appropriations bill that would effectively require USDA to amend WIC Infant Food Packages I and II to include infant-safe peanut-containing foods for early introduction—a small investment that could hypothetically prevent more than 310,000 peanut allergy cases over the next ten years according to researchers at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine.

The Senate has increased support for clinical investigation to a total of 27 clinical sites for critical food allergy research, including 14 sites as part of the Consortium for Food Allergy Research (CoFAR); the House maintains its existing level of funding.

CDC Healthy Schools: Both the House and Senate FY26 bills fund the CDC Healthy Schools Program, which could have easily been reduced or eliminated.  

The newly released MAHA Commission’s strategy report, Make Our Children Healthy Again, includes a White House focus on food allergy for the first time.  

FARE regularly supports state-level initiatives that serve the food allergy community, including Pennsylvania HB 77, aimed at creating safer restaurant dining experiences for those managing food allergy; California SB 68 focused on menu transparency in restaurants for food allergic diners; and price cap laws for epinephrine autoinjectors as examples.  

Research and Scientific Advancement

FARE’s Inaugural Mind Meld Innovation Summit, held at MIT in May 2025, brought together a multidisciplinary cohort of stakeholders from academia, industry, and federal agencies to break down research silos to accelerate innovation toward a cure. By investing in multidisciplinary, mechanistically driven, patient-focused research, the field can accelerate toward transformative change—and toward durable solutions that improve the lives of those with food allergy. With the upcoming release of multimillion dollar funding opportunity informed by the Summit’s insights, there is a unique opportunity to catalyze high-impact research that addresses longstanding gaps in food allergy care.

Through the FARE PACT Alliance, FARE is engaging directly with industry partners, from food manufacturers to restaurants and hospitality leaders. Together, we’re working to identify and solve 21st-century challenges facing the food allergy community, driving both innovation and systemic change.

FARE-Funded Research: Three ongoing projects supported by FARE aim to develop simple diagnostic tests to minimize use of the oral food challenge, a time- and resource-intensive means that often poses risks and causes anxiety.

FARE maintains an established and growing food allergy biorepository with the goal of significantly reducing the development time for new food allergy diagnostics and therapeutics. This year we fulfilled two sample requests, and the specimens are now actively being used for research. 

Public Awareness and Media Impact

Released five public service announcements (PSAs) in 2025, earning 553 million impressions and nearly 2 million views, with multiple social media posts surpassing 1 million views each—setting new benchmarks for public engagement.  

FARE’s PSAs have included Super Bowl champion, Jason McCourty, and Hollywood actress Angela Bassett—celebrity voices that have helped drive PSA donated media and viewership, which in turn raises public awareness of food allergy.  

Secured a food allergy-focused cover story in the latest issue of Scientific American—one of the most respected publications in the U.S.—a result of FARE’s consistent, sustained outreach that elevates scientific awareness of food allergy.  

Food Allergy and Schools

FARE has provided critical education and training to keep children with food allergy safer in schools, including the recent publication of the CDC-funded Food Allergy Management in Schools (FAMS) expert recommendations, which offer updated, evidence-based guidance for school personnel.  

Community Engagement

The annual food allergy summit at OctoberFARE next month will feature Teal Pumpkin Project-themed trick-or-treating. FARE is pleased to offer scholarships for children to attend our events and learn with their peers. In addition, with the help of scholarships from FARE, children in the area who might not otherwise have the chance will be able to join us at this event and participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project Halloween tradition.  

Organizational Revenue Growth to Support Research, Science, Our Community  

In these challenging times when funding and donations are being cut, FARE has doubled its revenue over the past three years to support research, science, education, training, our FARE Neighborhoods Initiative (FNI), and advocacy; to amplify the work that we do to scale it appropriately; and to develop other resources that serve this community.

These milestones reflect a necessary, long-term approach to change—one that centers on the needs of patients, caregivers, and families—while navigating the complexities of federal policy, scientific advancement, and public health.  

We remain confident that the depth and integrity of FARE’s work stands on its own. The work continues, and so does our unwavering commitment. Because we are touched by food allergy, it’s personal for us.  

With purpose, precision, heart, and gratitude,  

The FARE Board of Directors and CEO