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

The House SubCommitte on Health and Environment passed the Food Labeling Bill and passed it on to the Full Committee on Energy and Commerce. Because the Bill originated in the Senate, which passed it unanamously the House Committee on Energy and Commece is considering it in the form of the Senate Bill Senate 741. ( The Food Allergen and Consumer Protection Act. As I mentioned in an earlier post. The Committee Members are listed on 
http://energycommerce.house.gov/108/members/members.htm  It is easy to get the name and phone number of a congressman in various ways. If you wish to you can call The House Committee on Commerce at 202-225-2927 who can transfer you to your Congressman. 

My husband and I strongly support this legislation. Hal is a life long severe Classic Celiac who almost died several times.He is like the canary that used to be carried by coal miners because he reacts so quickly to gluten. Recently he puzzled over why he was feeling that he was getting some gluten some way. He thought that he might check the manufacturer of the gum he was chewing at his dentist's suggestion. It was an Arm and Hammer product. They told him that, in fact they had changed the formulation and although  it had been gluten free in the past,  it now had wheat as an ingredient. (Perhaps they switched to wheat because the price of corn had risen as it was now being used as an energy source and may have had a price increase?)

 My huband is considered a survivor. He follows physicians directions to the letter. Young people who have been recently diagnosed or other people who have a seemingly less serious case may not fully realize that while they may not be experiencing the typical digestive symptoms damage to the small intestine may be occuring. Viamin B6, which acts as a catalyst in many reactions in the body, is absorbed in the upper portion of the small intestine. Subtle changes can occur which may not be noted at first. Unfortunately, when he was younger, the reason for the symptoms he had was not known and diagnostic tests were not available. 

We urge you to support the  legislation. Modifications can be made later. The upcoming NIH Consensus Conference and an upcomeing Codex Alimentarius Meeting to be held in Germany in the Fall may help clarify some of the details needed to implement the Bill.

Irma for Hal and Irma De Bruyn

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