The FARE Food Allergy
& Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan
The FARE form is a one-page medical document that tells a school, camp, or caregiver exactly what to do if a child has an allergic reaction. Here's what's on it, who needs one, and where to get the current PDF directly from FARE.
Who actually needs one
Any child with a diagnosed food allergy who spends time away from a parent, at school, daycare, camp, a friend's house, or with a babysitter, should have a current, signed copy on file wherever they'll be. Most US schools require one before a student with a known allergy can enroll, and many camps and childcare licensing rules ask for it too.
Adults with food allergies sometimes use a similar plan for work or for caregivers, but the FARE template itself is written specifically for children in a school or care setting.
What's on the form
A completed FARE emergency care plan usually includes:
- The child's name, photo, and date of birth
- The specific food allergens diagnosed
- Symptoms that count as mild versus severe, since that decides what happens next
- Exact medication and dosage instructions, including when to use an epinephrine auto-injector
- The order of steps to follow: give medication, call 911, call the parent, in that order
- Physician signature and the date it was signed
Because it names exact doses, it has to be filled out and signed by the child's doctor or allergist, not written from memory by a parent.
How to get and fill one out
- Download the current PDF from FARE's own site rather than an older copy that may be circulating on a school's shared drive. The layout and wording get updated periodically, most recently in 2023.
- Bring it to the child's next allergist or pediatrician visit. The doctor fills in the allergen list, symptom thresholds, and medication instructions, then signs it.
- Make several copies. A signed plan is only useful where it's physically present, so most families keep one with the school nurse, one in the classroom folder, one with any epinephrine auto-injector kept on site, and one at home.
- Renew it every school year, or sooner if a diagnosis, medication, or dosage changes. A form with an old dosage is a real safety risk, not just paperwork.
Get emergency medical coverage that includes anaphylaxis treatment abroad before you fly.
Get a SafetyWing Quote →Where to download it
FARE (Food Allergy Research & Education) publishes the current, fillable PDF directly on its own site, in English and Spanish, at no cost:
Download the FARE Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan →
Use FARE's own page rather than a copy hosted on a school district or third-party site, since those are often an older revision with outdated dosage language.
FARE form vs. a travel allergy card
The FARE plan is built for one specific job: telling a US school or caregiver what to do in an emergency, in English, for one child. It isn't designed to be handed to a waiter, and it doesn't translate into another language.
That's a different problem than the one AllergyPass solves. AllergyPass's allergy card builder makes a bilingual card a traveler can show kitchen staff abroad, in the local language, to help avoid a reaction in the first place, rather than instructing what to do once one has already started. Families traveling internationally with a child who has a FARE plan on file at school often still want a separate travel card for the trip itself, since restaurant staff overseas have no use for a one-page English medical form.
The two documents aren't competitors. A signed FARE plan should stay with the school or caregiver; a translated allergy card goes in the traveler's wallet.
Frequently asked questions
Is the FARE form the same as a food allergy action plan?
Yes. "FARE form," "fare plan," and "food allergy action plan" all refer to the same document published by FARE, formerly called the Food Allergy Action Plan and now the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan.
Do I need a doctor to fill it out?
Yes. Because it specifies exact medication and dosage, it needs a physician's signature to be valid at most schools, camps, and childcare programs.
Is there a free printable PDF?
Yes, FARE publishes it as a free, fillable download directly on foodallergy.org. Avoid using a version emailed years ago from a school, since the template is updated periodically.
Does this replace a travel allergy card?
No. It's built for school and caregiver settings in English. For restaurant communication while traveling abroad, a separate translated card is the right tool.