[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 61 (Thursday, May 14, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             IN RECOGNITION OF FOOD ALLERGY AWARENESS WEEK

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                           HON. NITA M. LOWEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 14, 1998

  Mrs. LOWEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize Food Allergy Awareness 
Week.
  My colleagues, 5 to 8 million Americans suffer from food allergies. 
Five percent of all children are food allergic and hundreds of 
Americans die every year from food allergies.
  And the number of food allergy sufferers is increasing. Indeed among 
children, allergy to nuts has skyrocketed in just the last twenty years 
alone.
  Indeed, I have spoken to many constitutents--young and old alike--who 
have shared with me their terrible experiences with allergies. I will 
never forget hearing the harrowing tale of a five year old rushed to 
the hospital in anaphylactic shock after inadvertently eating a nut.
  Tragically, there is no cure for food allergies. That is why it is so 
critical that we invest more resources in allergy research and 
prevention programs.
  As a member of the Appropriations subcommittee that funds the 
National Institutes of Health, I will be working hard with my 
colleagues this year to increase funding for biomedical research so 
that we can find a cure for food allergies. We must also invest more in 
public awareness and prevention programs at the CDC and FDA so that 
restaurants and food processors become more sensitive to the health 
needs of their consumers and customers.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to address this serious 
health problem so that we can find a cure for allergies in our 
lifetimes.

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