Reply from Hilary Clinton

February 6, 2004

Mrs. xxxxxx xxxx
xxx xxxxx xxxxx
xxxxxxx, New York xxxxx

Dear Mrs. xxxx:

Thank you for contacting me to share your concerns about food allergens and the
potential health threat they pose for allergy sufferers. I know that for many
New Yorkers the risk of an allergic reaction and the need to be alert for
potential allergens at every meal can be both burdensome and frightening.

I am very concerned about the rising numbers of those affected by food allergies
in this nation, and feel strongly that American families should not have to
worry about becoming ill from foods purchased in neighborhood supermarkets and
stores. Persons who are allergic to foods rely on accurate ingredient listings
for their health and safety. Therefore, last year I co-sponsored, and the
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee passed, The Food Allergen
Consumer Protection Act. This bill would have required food packages to label
in common language any ingredient, flavoring, coloring or additive derived from
any of the eight major food allergen groups that are responsible for 90 percent
of food allergies as well as gluten grains. I know how important this is to
parents of children who have food allergies. Inaccuracies in labeling make them
fearful to serve even a cookie to their child. Recently the FDA found that in
manufactured cookies and ice-cream one out of every four contained ingredients
not listed in the product label. The FDA also reported an increase, from 35 in
1990 to 121 in 2000, of recalled food items due to unlabelled allergens.

For New Yorkers who suffer from food allergies, this is an issue of life and
health, not simply inconvenience. Unfortunately, The Food Allergen Consumer
Protection Act, which would have gone a long toward safe labeling that could
save lives and put Americans at ease, did not pass during the 107th Congress.
However, I am committed to supporting this basic health measure to promote sound
public health policies and rectify a dangerous situation for many American
families.

Thank you again for writing about an issue so important to New York's families.
Please check my website at [url="http://clinton.senate.gov"]http://clinton.senate.gov[/url] for regular updates on this
and other important issues being discussed before the United States Senate.

If you would like to respond to my e-mail or contact me via e-mail about this or
any other subject, please use my web response form at
[url="http://clinton.senate.gov/email_form.html."]http://clinton.senate.gov/email_form.html.[/url] Because of the size of my
constituency and the growing number who choose to communicate through
e-mail, I have selected the web form as the fairest and most equitable system to
respond to e-mail messages. E-mails that are sent as a direct response to my
outgoing e-mail fall outside the system and do not receive a response.

Sincerely yours,
Hillary Rodham Clinton