From: Pietzak, Michelle [mpietzak@chla.usc.edu] Sent: Thursday, April 28, 2005 7:15 PM To: Dockets, FDA Subject: suggestions for food labeling Follow Up Flag: Follow up Flag Status: Flagged To Whom It May Concern, I am a physician who takes care of patients with celiac disease, an autoimmune disease triggered by gluten. Gluten is found in wheat, rye and barley, In the U.S., oats are contaminated with wheat, and therefore contain gluten. My patients have a very difficult time reading food labels. This is because gluten is often hidden in ingredients such as starch, fillers, additives, etc. The Food Allergen Labeling Act signed by President Bush in August, 2004, will require that wheat be included on the food label. However, not all gluten is in wheat. Food labels need to catch up to our European colleagues by indicating when a product is "gluten-free". I have attached some articles that I have authored on Celiac Disease. We have recently published that it affects 1 in 132 Americans, so this is not a rare condition. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Michelle Pietzak, MD Assistant Professor of Pediatrics University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine phone: 323-660-2450 x 4990 <> <> <>