Designates Tuesday in third full week of September each year as "Food Allergy and Hunger Awareness Day."

SJR75

SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION

No. 75

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 2, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� JON M. BRAMNICK

District 21 (Middlesex, Morris, Somerset and Union)

SYNOPSIS

���� Designates Tuesday in third full week of September
each year as �Food Allergy and Hunger Awareness Day.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

A Joint
Resolution
designating the
Tuesday of the third week of September of each year as "Food Allergy and
Hunger Awareness Day" in New Jersey.

Whereas,

Hunger is a complex problem that
has been determined to lead to wide-ranging, detrimental consequences affecting
the physical and mental health of many Americans; and

Whereas,

Many of the consequences that
emerge due to hunger arise from the intersection between food insecurity, food
allergies, and other restrictions on food choice or availability; and

Whereas,

Food insecurity is defined as t
he state of being without reliable
access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food, and, at some
time over the course of a year, having difficulty providing enough food for all
of the members of one�s family due to a lack of resources; and

Whereas,

Food insecurity and food allergies are harmful to people of all age groups, but
are particularly devastating to children, as both threaten proper nutrition
which is vital to a child�s physical and mental health, academic achievement,
and future economic prosperity; and

Whereas,

According to NJ Spotlight in September 2019, it is estimated that 17.9 million
households in the United States are food insecure; and

Whereas,

An additional 6.8 million households in the United States have very low food
security, where some household members reduce their food intake to provide food
for other household members and normal eating patterns for household members
are disrupted at times during the year due to limited resources; and �

Whereas,

In New Jersey in 2019 at least 1.15 million residents were identified as food
insecure, including 375,000 children, but many do not qualify for federal
nutrition programs and �rely on local food pantries for assistance; and

Whereas,

Currently, at least
900,000 New
Jersey residents rely for assistance on food pantries and the food banks that supply
them; and

Whereas,

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the
financial pressures on families� ability to afford healthy food and the stress
on many household�s economic resources have multiplied exponentially, as

at least 42 percent
of New Jersey residents report
that someone in their household has been laid off from work;
and

Whereas,

Roughly one in ten people in New
Jersey have food allergies; and

Whereas,

Allergy-friendly foods are often
more expensive, for example, gluten-free foods cost, on average, 159 percent
more than foods that are not sold as gluten-free; and

Whereas,

Approximately 40 percent of children
with food allergies are allergic to more than one food, making it difficult for
their families to find and afford safe food; and

Whereas,

Due in part to a lack of awareness,
there is limited funding for studies, aid programs, and assistance to specialty
food banks to address food allergies as part of the problem of hunger and food
insecurity in the State; now, therefore,

����
Be It
Resolved
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� The Tuesday of the third
full week of September each year shall be designated in New Jersey as
"Food Allergy and Hunger Awareness Day" to bring awareness to the
complex problems of food insecurity and hunger in the State and to call for
more attention to the specific challenges that food allergies and other
restrictions add to these problems for food-insecure families.

���� 2.��� The Governor is
respectfully requested to annually issue a proclamation, calling upon public officials
and the citizens of the State to observe "Food Allergy and Hunger
Awareness Day" with appropriate activities and programs and to coordinate
the activities and programs with those annually planned for �New Jersey
Gleaning Week,� established pursuant to Assembly Joint Resolution No. 93 of
2014-2015, and �Hunger Action Month,� established pursuant to Senate Joint
Resolution No. 17 of 2014-2015.

���� 3.��� This joint resolution
shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This joint resolution
permanently designates the Tuesday of the third full week of September as
"Food Allergy and Hunger Awareness Day" in New Jersey.

���� Food allergies affect roughly
one out of every 10 people in New Jersey, and approximately 40 percent of
children with food allergies are allergic to more than one food, making it even
harder for their families to find and afford safe food.� These challenges
compound the problem of hunger and food insecurity in the State, where at least

1.15 million residents in 2019
were
identified as food insecure.�
Food insecurity is defined
as t
he state of being without reliable access to a sufficient
quantity
of affordable,
nutritious food, and, at some time over the course of a year, having
difficulty

providi
ng enough food for all of the
members
of one�s family
due

to a
lack
of resources
.� �Food Allergy and Hunger Awareness Day� seeks to raise
awareness and promote education about the complex intersection between food
allergies, hunger and food insecurity.�