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

		     Online Manufacturer Database<2>
		     ----------------------------
			   by Chuck Brandt

The Celiac Database (http://www.celiacdatabase.org) was able to
negotiate the purchase of a commercial database of manufacturer names
and addresses.  These have been added and there are now over 240,000
entries in the database.  This information can be accessed in two
different ways:

1.  Use the "Manufacturer Query" page
(http://www.celiacdatabase.org/mQuery.asp).  On this page, you can
type in the digits from a product's bar code and click "Submit".  For
instance, if you type in 05150002339, which appears on jars of
Smucker's Simply 100% Fruit Black Cherry, you will see contact info
for the Smucker's company.  This is a quick and easy way to get
information.

2.  Use the "Manufacturer Search" page
(http://www.celiacdatabase.org/msearch.asp).  On this page, you can
type in a search string, such as "Smucker" (omit the quotes), click
"Submit" and you will get a list of manufacturers whose name includes
this string.  Click the "Info" button next to the desired manufacturer
and you will get their contact information.

By legal agreement, this information is for personal use only and
cannot be sold, traded, or published in any way.

The purchased database only contained names and addresses.  It did not
contain information such as web site URL, 800 number, etc.  If you
display a manufacturer's information, see that some of this
information is not in the database, and you know what it is, please
send in that information so it can be added.  A button labeled "Update
manufacturer info" has been added to the page that displays the
manufacturer information.  It appears after the information at the
bottom of the page.  Click it and an information update page will
appear.  Make the needed changes and then click "Submit".  Submitting
updated information increases the value of the database to all the
Celiac community.  The database is a free, community service and its
value is enhanced with your help.  If you think this is a good idea,
then consider supporting it with a couple minutes of your time.

This is true as well for the newest part of the database which
contains information about stores and restaurants.  It provides
searches by city, state, and country, and also by zip code.  Searches
can be done online or by cell phone or other wireless device.  This is
a boon for travelers.  Once they reach their destination, they can use
a laptop or cell phone to easily locate nearby celiac-friendly stores
and restaurants.

Of course, it's the data that makes these features valuable.
Currently, there are just a few hundred stores and restaurants listed.
However, if everyone who reads this submitted just one store and/or
one restaurant, that number would literally grow to thousands
overnight.  It's just a matter of whether people want to turn this
into something incredibly useful.  Stores and restaurants can be
submitted on the page (at http://www.celiacdatabase.org/vSubmit.htm)
Included on the page are two fields of special note.  One is a field
for comments.  This turns the listing into more than just a name and
address; it lets other celiacs know what to expect at the store or
restaurant.  The other is a rating (1 to 5 stars) that indicates how
celiac-friendly the place is.