CANONSBURG – The PA Senate Majority Policy Committee held a hearing to examine childhood food allergies. About 1.3 million Pennsylvanians are afflicted with a food allergy. Committee member, Beaver County Sen. Camera Bartolotta said the hearing showed what doctors and researchers have been saying – too many children are developing lifelong food allergies that could have been prevented. One presenter, Kelly Cleary, Medical Director and Vice President of Health & Education for Food Allergy Research and Education, said over the past 20 years, the rate of children with a food allergy has grown by 50%, with rates of peanut and tree nut allergies rising by 300%. The average cost of a child with a peanut allergy is more than $7,200 per year from ages one to 18. Studies in 2015 and 2019 showed that the early consumption of peanuts and eggs reduced the risk of developing these allergies by more than 80%. Bartolotta discussed legislation she introduced to help families with preventing food allergies. Her Senate Bill 978 would require no-cost health insurance coverage for early peanut and egg introduction dietary supplements for infants. You can watch the hearing by clicking on the photo below.
