California lawmaker introduces Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act
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Key takeaways:
- The bill would offer training to schools on how to prevent allergic reactions.
- WIC recipients would receive information on best practices to manage as well as prevent food allergies.
Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) introduced H.R. 9550, or the “Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act,” to help make children with allergies safer in their schools.
“With 25% of all first-time allergic reactions happening to children while at school, the need for comprehensive, proactive legislation to keep students with food allergies safe in the lunchroom is clear,” DeSaulnier told Healio.
“As a senior member of the House Education Committee, I introduced this bill to protect students by ensuring food personnel are adequately trained to identify, respond to and prevent allergic reactions,” he continued.
The bill, introduced in September and cosponsored by Rep. Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) and Rep. Doris Matsui (CA-7), would amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 by requiring school personnel to be trained on food allergy identification and how to respond when a child is experiencing an allergic reaction using training modules. Trained personnel would also receive a certification upon completion of the training.
Healio spoke with Jason Linde, MA, senior vice president of advocacy for Food Allergy Research & Education, about the bill and how it would make schools a safer environment for children with allergies.
“It will help train cafeteria workers to avoid cross-contact and provide them with information about recognizing and responding to anaphylaxis,” Linde said.
The bill includes a clause about supporting WIC-eligible individuals that are impacted by food allergies by ensuring they receive information on current USDA guidelines on food allergies during pregnancy and in the postpartum period as well as on how infants are impacted by prenatal food allergy exposure.
“This bill makes our schools safer for the nearly 6 million children in the U.S. with potentially life-threatening food allergies,” Linde said. “It helps inform the most economically vulnerable of Americans, those on WIC, about recognizing and preventing food allergies with their infants, providing information about the benefits of early introduction.”
Most recently, the bill was referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and is awaiting a vote to then pass onto the House’s floor.
In January 2023, Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-IL) and Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) introduced a version of the bill known as S.121, which has been referred to the Senate’s Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.
“This bill does two things well — it focuses on informing families on WIC about how the early introduction of allergens can help prevent their infant from developing food allergies later in life, and it ensures a safer lunch experience for the country’s nearly 6 million food-allergic school children,” Linde said.
Reference:
- H.R. 9550 - Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act. https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/9550/text. Published Sept. 12, 2024. Accessed Oct. 1, 2024.
- S.121 – Protecting Children with Food Allergies Act. https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/121. Published Jan. 26, 2023. Accessed Oct. 1, 2024.