<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

I have drafted a letter to my Congressional representatives and am
passing it along in case it would be of use to anyone.  Of course, it
would be best if you tailor the letter to fit your views, concerns, etc.

I tried to put in the stuff about what FDA is doing (re: Aug. 13
meeting), as well as something about the Kennedy/Lowey bill.   The key
is to ask something in the letter so that 1.) someone in the
Congressional staff has to actually pay attention to your issue, 2) the
letter is referred to FDA for their input.

You  can just address the letter to your representatives at: U.S.
Congress, Washington, D.C. 20515.  Like others have said before in
previous messages, please take a minute and send the letters - it really
can make a difference. So far I've gotten my husband, daughter,
son-in-law and my parents to send letters too --  I made it easy for
them by printing the letters with their names on it so all they have to
do is sign the letter and I'll mail them all.  That way, six voters are
each writing their three members of Congress, not just me.  And I know
from my experience in Washington that Congresspersons always count the
number of letters they receive on any issue.

*************************

Subject: need to tighten the regulation of food-allergens

Dear Senator _____;

One of the members of our family has celiac disease and must not eat
even trace amounts of wheat, rye, oats or barley because they are
literally toxic. We have a terrible time trying to assure that food is
wheat and gluten-free. Only when the product actually has a label that
says "wheat and gluten-free" can we assume that it is safe, because
current regulations do not require all ingredients to be listed on the
label.

We have three requests. First, we ask if you would find out from the
Food and Drug Administration what the schedule is for considering
changes to the requirements for the presence and labeling of allergens
in food. We have tried but cannot get the information from FDA. The FDA
held a meeting on this issue on August 13, 2001, but from everything
we've read, there is no FDA plan or schedule for how to make the
necessary changes to the regulatory requirements. Just talking about the
issue won't do any good.

Second, we would like to know what the FDA is doing now and what action
is under consideration to require that companies indicate on labels that
a food product may contain allergens due to "cross-contact." There is
currently no requirement that companies put on food labels any
information about the possibility for contamination of food with wheat
or gluten, as well as other allergens. This kind of contamination is a
very common occurrence in the food industry, due to the use of wheat and
gluten in processing for some products, and also the use of the same
factory lines for multiple products. The FDA encourages "good management
practices" to avoid contamination, which is fine, but consumers need
information so we can assess whether we want to take the risk of eating
a product that potentially could be contaminated.

Third, we would like to know your position on the legislation that
Representative Nita Lowey and Senator Edward Kennedy are sponsoring to
tighten the regulation of food-allergens. Representative Lowey has said
that the legislation would require companies to list the major allergens
(including those in spices, flavorings, and colorings) by their common
English names and to include a telephone number on the label that
consumers could call for more information. The legislation would also
require manufacturers to better prevent cross-contact between products
made in the same facility or on the same production line, allow the Food
and Drug Administration to assess penalties against firms that violate
the food allergen requirements, and require the Centers for Disease
Control to establish a system for tracking food allergy-related deaths.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.