May 12-18 marks Food Allergy Awareness Week, created by the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network (now called FARE – Food Allergy Research & Education). Â This year’s focus is on a growing problem: food allergy bullying.
One-third of children with food allergies are bullied because of it (with the food they are allergic to). Â I have experienced this myself, as an adult, with gluten. Â Some people find it amusing to see how scared I am of “just a piece of bread” on my plate. Â How hard it must be for a child to have to process something like that! Â And for the children with life-threatening food allergies, how scared they must truly be to go to school when something like that is happening.
FARE’s “It’s Not a Joke” campaign is to raise awareness of this growing trend of food allergy bullying in an effort to stop it. Â If we, as parents, adults, educators, etc., can understand the consequences and discuss it with children, perhaps many of these incidences can be prevented. Â Please watch and share the PSA.
