Funding for Food Allergy Research Sees Major Support in 2020 Appropriations Package

New provisions include funding for food allergy research through Department of Defense/National Institutes of Health and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

McLean, Va. (December 18, 2019) – Today, FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education), the world’s largest private funder of food allergy research, applauds Congress on including significant provisions for funding food allergy research in its 2020 federal spending bill, accelerating new treatments and hope of a cure for food allergies which currently affect 32 million Americans.

“FARE has been pushing for major investments in food allergy research funding and classification for many years and its inclusion today is a big victory that will go a long way toward ensuring food allergies are a top public health priority for the 32 million Americans with potentially life-threatening food allergies,” said FARE CEO, Lisa Gable. “Food allergies have escalated in recent years and in order to further understand and treat this public health crisis, support like this from the federal government is essential.”

The agreement would award an additional $2.6 billion to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) at the Department of Defense (DoD). This funding includes a crucial provision directing the DoD to add food allergies to the list of conditions eligible for funding in 2020 under the its Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program. FARE sent a letter to the DoD in March 2019 requesting this provision, and should this spending deal pass, 2020 will be the first year that food allergies are listed as eligible for the DoD Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program since fiscal year 2015. 

In addition, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has received a $362 million budget increase from Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS). The related House Committee Report specifies investment in the Consortium of Food Allergy Research, which including an amendment that passed in June, brings the total funds allocated for food allergy research to $3 million. 

The House has already passed this spending bill and the Senate is expected to do the same by the end of this week, signing the appropriations package into law for fiscal year 2020.