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David J Walland
Dear All,

I'm sorry to have been so clipped about this issue.  Unfortunately this came
up at the tail end of my lunch-break.  This is my work computer and I had
virtually run out of time to do more than set things in motion; it will be
obvious that my duties often can't be set aside.

The BBC were reporting on a story where Mintel had been investigating fad
diets.  It reported that these are big business and that many manty people
are eating these fad diets and risking their health by doing so.  The BBC's
reporter used specific gluten free foods as a demonstration of new lines
carried by supermarkets to service these fad diets and implied that coeliac
disease consists of minor discomfort and is neither a serious nor a
life-threatening disease.  This in spite of the fact that as list members on
both this list and on UK-Coeliac list have pointed out, the BBC website
actually carries details about the reality and seriousness of CD!

While it was not actually expreessly STATED that CD is imaginary, there was
a strong unstated implication that it is.

I'm sorry that so many of you have found it difficult to find an address to
reply to.  I too found this difficult and in the end went to the one
complaining about serious editorial failings.  This didn't seem appropriate
for everyone to use, the BBC is a big and complex site and there are a
number of feedback points, so I felt it best to ask you all to pick one and
complain, so the complaints were spread over the whole site.

I also today realise that in my fury and agitation, I didn't actually tell
you that BBC1 is a major, country-wide TV station and therefore this was
carried across the country on the lunch-time TV news (13:00 - 13:30).

Interesting that the BBC "pulled" the report on the "Six O'Clock News" and
"News at Ten"..... (I was all set to ring the opposition ITV and get them
interested in this appalling piece of reporting by the BBC).

Thanks everyone for helping/trying to help.  Several US list members have
expressed enthusiasm for the widespread availability of GF food here in the
UK when they have visited.  We're VERY reluctant to see this curtailed again
(as has happened under very similar conditions in Denmark in recent years).
"Stories" like this HAVE to be vigorously protested or we'll be back to
nothing again, in short order.

Regards

David

University of Bristol Radiation Protection Adviser
Tel +44 (0)117 928 8323
Fax +44 (0)117 929 1209
E-mail [log in to unmask]

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