Since 2014, Food Equality Initiative has been committed to ending hunger in the food allergy and celiac disease community. In 2022, we broadened our service to include all diet-treated illnesses and conditions, fully embracing the ‘Food is Medicine' movement. We believe that food is medicine to treat medical conditions such as food allergies, celiac disease, Crohn’s Disease, eosinophilic esophagitis, hypertension, and more. But, we also believe food is medicine to prevent illness and improve overall health through the regular consumption of nutritious food, otherwise known as nutrition security. To recognize the potential of ‘Food is Medicine,’ FEI serves in three different ways.
1. We facilitate access to safe, healthy, free-from food by subsidizing a direct-to-door grocery delivery service for food insecure individuals and families.
2. We educate the public through the production of nutritionally focused educational materials, such as our magazine, podcast, and recipe guides.
3. And, we advocate for traditionally under-represented populations in healthcare on a regional and national scale. To do our work, FEI collaborates with and receives funding from healthcare providers, local and national nonprofit organizations, government agencies, schools, food manufacturers, and generous individual donors. FEI is a registered 501(c)(3). Our Founding History
Emily Brown's lifestyle abruptly changed when her two young children were diagnosed with severe food allergies. She went from carefree grocery shopping to reading every ingredient label on every food product she planned to purchase. She had to quit her day job to care for her daughters, since the daycare could not adequately provide safe, reliable services for their food allergies. This caused her financial standing to rapidly decline, and she found herself needing to enroll in federal assistance programs such as in Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in order to feed her family of four. During this sudden series of events, Emily asked herself why insurance does not cover the medicine needed to treat food allergies: free-from foods. In an interview with KCUR 89.3, Emily Brown said, “if we did not have these food allergies, we would not be in this situation. I am living this and I am still living this.”
In 2014, Emily decided to take matters into her own hands and founded Food Equality Initiative (FEI) to help families like hers gain access to free-from food. FEI started the first food pantry in the United States specifically stocked with foods required to maintain a Top-8 allergen-free and/or celiac diet; it included items such as gluten-free bread, almond milk, and sunflower seed butter. Since then, FEI has pivoted from the food pantry model to subsidizing a direct-to-door delivery service specifically for free-from foods, to further increase access and preserve the dignity of those needing assistance. We now also embrace the ‘Food is Medicine’ movement and advocate that regular access to nutritious foods improve the health of everyone, especially those with any diet-treated illness or condition. FEI invests in research and spreading knowledge about the importance of nutrition security. Our Mission
Food Equality Initiative fights for nutrition security and health equity for all. Our Vision
Our vision is a world where safe and nutritious food is accessible to everyone, regardless of dietary restrictions, race, or income.
