That’s why when we invest in food allergy solutions, we invest in a future where food heals, not harms. And that’s also why I started the Food Allergy Fund (FAF), focused on reframing food allergies as indicators of deeper issues with our food systems.

As a parent who could not sit still while science lagged behind the need, I created FAF to address the glaring disconnect between the widespread prevalence of allergic disease and its limited investment. Today, we are reframing food allergies and helping bridge the funding gap for new science to prevent, treat, and cure food allergies—and we elevate the national conversation to foster collaboration and identify solutions.

This work is critical because food allergies are no longer a rare disease. They are a full-blown public health crisis: one study estimated that they have an annual economic burden of US$25 billion. Yet, they are often framed narrowly as dietary inconveniences. That perspective misses their broader significance: food allergies intersect with our food, agriculture, nutrition, and microbiome health. They serve as a warning sign of how our modern food system interacts with our evolved human biology, revealing system failures and the urgent need to integrate food allergies into the broader food-as-medicine dialogue.

This breakdown has vital and everyday consequences, starting with the very first food we consume. One in five infants reacts to traditional, milk-based formulas. In a study of infants with failure to thrive, up to 31 percent had a cow’s milk allergy, underscoring how food allergies can disrupt essential nutrition during a critical window of development.

The impact extends far beyond nutrition. Emerging science indicates that disruptions in gut health during infancy, a critical window for microbiome development, may contribute to the onset of allergic disease and related immune conditions. And food allergies are rarely isolated. Nearly half of adults and 40 percent of children with food allergies live with multiple allergies and are significantly more likely to experience related immune conditions like asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis.

Read the full article about reframing food allergies by Ilana Golant at Food Tank.