Bill Text: NJ SJR33 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Designates Tuesday in third full week of September each year as "Food Allergy and Hunger Awareness Day."
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-01-18 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Environment and Energy Committee [SJR33 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-SJR33-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator JON M. BRAMNICK
District 21 (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 the 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 the 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. "Food Allergy and Hunger Awareness Day" seeks to raise awareness and promote education about the complex intersection between food allergies, hunger and food insecurity.
