Chris Dodd: “Food allergies are an increasing food safety and public health concern in this country, especially among young children.…”

“Food allergies are an increasing food safety and public health concern in this country, especially among young children. I know first-hand just how frightening food allergies can be in a young person's life. My own family has been personally touched by this troubling condition and we continue to struggle with it each and every day. Sadly, there is no cure for food allergies. In the past 5 years, the number of Americans with food allergies has nearly doubled from 6 million to almost 12 million. While food allergies were at one time considered relatively infrequent, today they rank 3rd among common chronic diseases in children under 18 years old. Peanuts are among several allergenic foods that can produce life-threatening allergic reactions in susceptible children. Peanut allergies have doubled among school-age children from 1997 to 2002. Clearly, food allergies are of great concern for school-age children Nation-wide, and yet, there are no Federal guidelines concerning the management of life-threatening food allergies in our Nation's schools.”