In 2000, the National Peanut Board put in place a comprehensive and integrated issues management program to ensure we maintain a healthy and receptive market for USA-grown peanuts and peanut products. In fact, at its inception, the Board concluded that if even one person became ill by consuming our products, it was one too many. To that end the Board made a commitment to do as much as possible to mitigate food allergy—and peanut allergy in particular.

Our Issues Management Team executes a comprehensive program that has four major components:

Media Monitoring – Monitoring the media daily and responding, when necessary, on allergy issues and other issues affecting the peanut industry.

Readiness and Answer Bureau – Responding to consumer inquiries as well as potential and enacted school or venue bans.

Research and Education – Working to expand education and public awareness programs.

Scientific Advisory Council – Comprising some of the leading researchers from the United States, Canada, and the U.K., the SAC provides ongoing counsel to the National Peanut Board to help find solutions to peanut allergy issues.

Since its inception, the National Peanut Board has invested nearly $4 million toward food allergy research and education, including helping to find ways to lessen the effects of peanut allergies and to create a vaccine for peanut allergy sufferers. We are excited and encouraged by the potential this work has to help allergy sufferers.

For a list of peanut allergy research and education projects funded by the National Peanut Board, and to learn more about your Board’s food allergy initiatives, visit the National Peanut Board Peanut and Food Allergy Research and Education Initiatives page on the website.