Robyn O’Brien: Founder, Chief Inspiration Officer
As a former food industry analyst, author and mother of four, Robyn O’Brien brings compassion, insight and detailed analysis to her role as the founder of the organization and her research into the impact that the global food system is having on the health of children.
The mission of the AllergyKids Foundation is to restore the health of our children and the integrity of our food supply.
Our goal is simple and straightforward: we want to protect the American children from the additives now found in our food supply – additives not used in children’s foods in other developed countries. In our efforts to achieve this, the AllergyKids Foundation works to:
- Inspire choices that enhance the quality of life, improve nutrition and create change in the health of our children, schools and communities.
- Inform parents and caregivers about food grown without the use of synthetic additives, artificial growth hormones and pesticides.
- Address the increasing prevalence of synthetic additives, artificial growth hormones, antibiotics and genetically engineered allergens and proteins now found in the U.S. food supply and its impact on the health of our families.
- Provide materials and resources to help individuals and families reduce their exposure to additives in their diets.
- Cultivate team building and grassroots movements that drive change in our schools, communities, organizations, and federal food policy.
Our mission is a mighty one, but we believe that our children deserve nothing less. And while they may only represent 30% of our population, they are 100% of our future, and we can accomplish so much together.
Founded by author, public speaker and mother of four, Robyn O’Brien, the AllergyKids Foundation’s site officially launched on Mother’s Day 2010 to bring attention to recent changes to the food supply and the dramatic increases in the rates of allergies, asthma, autism and ADHD in the last twenty years:
- 400% increase in allergies
- 300% increase in asthma
- 400% increase in ADHD
- and an increase of between 1,500 and 6,000% in the number of children with autism-spectrum disorders.
As we work to do inform, inspire and involve others with simple and engaging to protect the health of their loved ones, we are thankful for the heroic work that all of you are doing and are continually inspired by your stories of courage, hope, tenacity and faith.
Together, we can achieve the healthy childhoods that are children so deserve. And at the AllergyKids Foundation, we believe that hope is the knowledge that change is possible. The challenge is in the moment. The time is now.