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     My letters were part of that 10,000 number and
I'd like to chime in on the topic:

     I was elated when I heard about the American
Celiac Task Force almost a year ago. Then there were
all the articles, news stories and the NBC-Today piece
on celiac disease, the ACTF and food labeling. I
thought: give it a year and we'll be seeing labels
with wheat, rye, barley and oats spelled out!

    Well, I guess the politics didn't work out quite
that easy! I've been in touch with my congressman and
Senators and they say the food labeling bills moving
through congress just cover the top 8 allergens, among
them wheat. I asked if there was anything that could
be done to get something closer to what celiacs need.
With ONE VOICE they all said: Any push for any kind of
change at this point will immediately unravel the rare
coalition of food manufacturers, medical groups and
patient groups that are supporting the current bills.
Work that has taken 4 years to reach this stage would
go down the drain in a flash and we'd have to start
from scratch.

    The gist of their reply: Senate bill ( S. 741 )
and House bill (H.R. 3684 ) are the celiacs best
chance of getting any labeling help any time soon
(read: years )!

    So, even though it's not all we want, I agree with
and support the ACTF position "Let's get this done
then worry about, the remaining 10%."

    At this point it's important to keep these bills
moving forward so if you haven't sent letters to your
legislators yet, do so as soon as possible. Tell them
these bills will be a great help to all of us and you
would like their support!

Regards ...



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