Please email and mail ALL of the Health and Human Services and Food and Drug Administration personnel listed below. This list includes Alex Azar, Stephan Hahn, Susan Mayne, and Robin McKinnon. Make your voices heard! The letter I’m sending on behalf of the Gluten Free Watchdog community is in the photo and also pasted below. Please feel free to use any or all of the information in your own letter.

Contact information for HHS and FDA personnel

Mr. Alex M. Azar II

Office of the Secretary

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Hubert H. Humphrey Building

200 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20201

Secretary@HHS.gov

Stephen M. Hahn, MD

FDA Commissioner

Food and Drug Administration

White Oak Building One

10903 New Hampshire Avenue; Room 2217

Silver Spring, MD 20993

Stephen.Hahn@fda.hhs.gov

Susan Mayne, PhD

Director

CFSAN

5001 Campus Drive

College Park, MD 20740-3835

Susan.Mayne@fda.hhs.gov

Claudine Kavanaugh

Director, Office of Nutrition & Food Labeling

CFSAN

5001 Campus Drive

College Park, MD 20740-3835

claudine.kavanaugh@fda.hhs.gov

Megan Velez

(Acting) Director, Office of Regulations & Policy

CFSAN

5001 Campus Drive

College Park, MD 20740-3835

Megan.Velez@fda.hhs.gov

William A. Correll, Jr.,

Director, Office of Compliance

CFSAN

5001 Campus Drive

College Park, MD 20740-3835

william.correll@cfsan.fda.gov

Robin Mckinnon

Senior advisor for nutrition policy

CFSAN

5001 Campus Drive

College Park, MD 20740-3835

Robin.McKinnon@fda.hhs.gov



Text of the letter:

Dear,

On behalf of the Gluten Free Watchdog community I am once again reaching out to the FDA to ask that you please enforce the gluten-free labeling rule. Since we filed our FDA citizen petition asking for increased surveillance, investigation and enforcement of potential facial misbranding violations under the “Gluten-Free Labeling Rule” (see https://www.regulations.gov/docket?D=FDA-2017-P-5118) and the supplement to this petition (see https://www.glutenfreewatchdog.org/news/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/GFWDPetitionSupplementFinal.pdf), numerous misbranded products continue to be reported to Gluten Free Watchdog by consumers. Two of the latest products are included on the second page of this letter.

Foods labeled gluten-free yet containing ingredients not allowed under the rule have been reported to CAERS via Gluten Free Watchdog. Based on information received via a FOIA request, CAERS/FDA is doing little other than maintain a paper trial of the complaints coming into them from Gluten Free Watchdog.

The lack of enforcement of the gluten-free labeling rule is putting at risk the health of people with celiac disease. It also is emboldening manufacturers to openly disregard the codified rule.

As FDA is well aware, it was a long journey over several years to finalize the gluten-free labeling rule. Many responsible gluten-free food manufacturers have taken the time and resources to ensure their labeling practices comply with the rule.

But the journey is not complete. Too many misbranded products remain in circulation. We ask that FDA promptly turn its attention to the manufacturers who blatantly are not in compliance. These manufacturers will change their practices when they hear from FDA on one of their products. This, in turn, will reduce the number of misbranded products in circulation, thereby meeting the objectives of the gluten-free labeling rule and restoring consumer confidence in the term “gluten-free” when it appears on a product.

Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Tricia Thompson, MS, RD

Founder, Gluten Free Watchdog, LLC