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Fellow Celiacs,

Please take the time to visit http://www.congress.org and write to your
representatives.  Here is what I sent.  Please feel free to use it, or parts
of it.

Best wishes,
Jessica M.
UW-Madison Microbiology
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Senator Feingold,

I am writing to ask you to please support Food allergen labeling bill S 2499
IS.  Although most Americans may be able to eat at a restaurant, pick up a
quick microwave meal, or even choose their favorite brand of cereal with
little thought, such is not the case for those with Celiac Sprue.  This
serious autoimmune disease, recently estimated to effect 1 in 250 Americans
(with many yet undiagnosed), can have severe, if not deadly consequences.
Celiac symptoms--violent vomiting, diarrhea, anemia, headaches, and
malnutrition--can be brought on by even a crumb of food products containing
gluten.  Gluten, a protein found in wheat, oats, barley, malt and rye,
triggers an immune response that can veritably incapacitate the Celiac for
hours, if not days.  With continual exposure, the Celiac will lose their
ability to digest food at all.

Although the Americans with Disabilities Act included a clause to protect
Celiacs, it is simply not enough.  Manufacturers continually change
ingredients, fail to list food treatment measures (such as coating foods with
wheat flour to prevent clumping), and even hide behind generic labels (such
as "modified food starch," which could mean starch from any number of
sources--including wheat).  Recently I have seen product labels list a
disclaimer that says "may contain peanuts."  I have never seen one that says
"may contain gluten."  It is unrealistic, if not impossible for Celiacs to
continually call manufacturers to beg for details about food products.
Moreover, even when we do, more often than not these days the companies hide
behind legal disclaimers and refuse to supply the information.  We are left
to either take a gamble on our health, or simply do without.  While this may
not seem so bad for one food item, try multiplying it by hundreds--and see
what you have left to eat.

Celiacs would like to enjoy the same healthy diet and quality of life as most
Americans, insofar as they can.  We are not asking manufacturers to change
ingredients to suit our needs.  Rather, we simply want the information that
we require to keep ourselves healthy.  As a scientist, I understand that it
is difficult to maintain a healthy body, but that doing so is essential for
productive work and positive family interactions.  I hope that you will use
your power to help us in our simple, but essential goal--please support Food
allergen labeling bill S 2499 IS.  With 1 in 250 Americans suffering from
Celiac, how can we stand not to?

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