Miss America’s Teen 2026 To Support Families With Food Allergies as New National Spokesperson for FAACT
Tess Ferm
FAACT National Spokesperson
Miss America’s Teen 2026 To Support
Families With Food Allergies
as New National Spokesperson for FAACT
Tess Ferm is using her personal experiences to connect with and advocate for the millions of Americans living with life-threatening food allergies
The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT) is honored to announce that Miss America’s Teen 2026 Tess Ferm has joined FAACT as our new national spokesperson. Tess will work closely with FAACT’s leadership and Medical Advisory Board to help raise awareness of food allergies in communities across the country.
Food allergies affect as many as 32 million Americans, including almost 6 million children—that’s two students in every classroom across the country. There is no cure for food allergies, and avoiding food allergens is the only way to prevent a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. There are FDA-approved treatment options and other food allergy desensitizations are being studied, but are not yet proven treatments.
That’s why it is so important for every person to understand food allergies and be able to recognize an allergic reaction. Awareness can (and does) save lives. As our new national spokesperson, Tess is in a position to expand the reach of FAACT’s lifesaving programs and outreach efforts.
Tess knows first-hand the life-threatening nature of food allergies: she is allergic to tree nuts and has eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), a chronic allergic inflammatory disease. Her older brother also lives with food allergies and EoE, and her younger brother has severe asthma. These lived experiences shaped Tess's passion for education, advocacy, and creating safer spaces for individuals with food allergies and related conditions.
“We are honored and grateful to have Tess join the FAACT family and advocate for all individuals with life-threatening food allergies and anaphylaxis,” says FAACT President and CEO Eleanor Garrow-Holding. “Tess will be instrumental in educating children, adolescents, and adults about food allergies—including FAACT’s Camp TAG program this summer in Ohio and Tennessee, which Tess is excited to attend. We are thrilled to have Tess contribute to our programs and to work with her for many years to come!”
About Tess Ferm
Tess Ferm, Miss America's Teen 2026, is an incoming freshman at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, where she plans to pursue a degree in marketing and communications.
Her community service initiative, From Fear to Freedom, focuses on advocating for the food allergy community through education and outreach. Tess meets with legislators, schools’ staff and nurses, students, teachers, and healthcare professionals to promote awareness, preparedness, and understanding.
Tess believes that teenagers have powerful voices and the ability to create meaningful change. As Miss America's Teen, she is committed to using her platform to speak up for those who do not yet have a voice and to help transform fear into confidence for individuals and families navigating food allergies.
About Miss America
Miss America’s mission is Empowering Women to Lead with Purpose as the nation’s premier empowerment platform for young women. Founded in 1921, the iconic Miss America program is also America’s largest provider of tuition-only scholarship awards for women, administered by the Miss America’s Scholarship Foundation Inc. a tax-exempt nonprofit organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
About the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Connection Team (FAACT)
FAACT's mission is to educate, advocate, and raise awareness for all individuals and families affected by food allergies and life-threatening anaphylaxis. Whether it’s keeping children safe at school, responding to food-allergy bullying, traveling, preparing for college, dealing with workplace issues, or simply taking the family out for dinner, FAACT has the resources you need to manage food allergies and stay healthy. Managing a food allergy involves constant vigilance. FAACT is here to support you in managing your food allergies—today, tomorrow, and into the future. For more information, please visit us at www.FoodAllergyAwareness.org or call (513) 342-1293, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
Resources:
- Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Connection Team
- Food Allergy Statistics from FAACT
- FAACT’s National PSA Campaign, “Accurately Diagnosing & Managing a Food Allergy”
- FAACT’s Food Allergy Curricula Program for Schools
- American Academy of Pediatrics, “Management of Food Allergy in the School Setting”
- American Academy of Pediatrics, “The Prevalence, Severity, and Distribution of Childhood Food Allergy in the United States”
Media Contact:
Eleanor Garrow-Holding, FAACT President and CEO
(815) 276-3015 or Eleanor.Garrow@FoodAllergyAwareness.org
FAACT is able to consult on news stories and provide medical experts, spokespersons, and subjects while supplying up-to-date information on food allergies and anaphylaxis for your future media needs.
