Food Allergy Initiative


The Food Allergy Initiative is a 501 non-profit organization founded in 1998 with the mission to fund food allergy research that seeks a cure, to improve diagnosis and treatment, and to keep patients safe through advocacy and education. FAI is the largest private source of funding for food allergy research in the United States. As of 2011, the organization has raised more than $72 million towards these goals. FAI consistently receives a four-star rating—the highest available—from Charity Navigator, the largest independent charity evaluator in the United States.

Research

While working within the guidelines set forth by the National Institutes of Health in the Report of the NIH Expert Panel on Food Allergy Research, FAI works to increase:
FAI sponsors food allergy research across the United States at institutions such as Harvard Medical School, the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine of New York University.

Advocacy

FAI played a key role in passing the Food Allergen Labeling & Consumer Protection Act of 2004

Education and patient services

By working with the media, health care workers, camps, restaurants, food manufacturers, and education and childcare professionals, FAI tries to increase awareness of food allergies and anaphylaxis. Some of the prominent restaurateurs that have worked with FAI include: