Celiac Sufferers May Get Financial Reprise
A private member’s bill that would subsidize the cost of gluten-free bread – which is required by the tens of thousands of Israelis suffering from celiac disease – was approved Monday by the Knesset Labor, Welfare and Health Committee for its first reading in the plenum. The bill was initiated by Kadima MK Meir Sheetrit.
- Gabi Tzav
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פלאש 90
According to the proposal, the cost of gluten-free bread will be kept at a level that is never higher than that of standard bread. In addition, those who suffer from celiac disease will be reimbursed for up to NIS 500 per month per family for purchase of special food. In addition, companies manufacturing glute-free food will be taxed at lower rates.
The bill was approved by the committee despite strong opposition from representatives of the Finance and Justice Ministries, who argued that the cost of implementation could add up to “hundreds of millions of shekels” a year.
MK Sheetrit said tens of thousands of celiac patients have been “treated unfairly for years, as even a super-capitalistic country like the US has tax benefits for celiac patients, and gluten-free food companies receive billions of dollars in tax benefits. What about our patients?” Kadima MK Rachel Adatto, a physician by profession, said the ministries’ opposition was “absurd.”
An estimated one of every 157 people in Israel suffer from celiac disease, but a document by the nutritional security council says that its prevalence is underestimated because of cases that are asymptomatic and a lack of awareness regarding symptoms that need checking. It estimates that there are between 48,000 and 76,000 potential sufferers, more than 15,000 of them children and teens.
The bill is a budgetary proposal and so necessitates the support of at least 50 MKs in order for it to pass. Committee Chairman Haim Katz said he would support the bill in spite of the government's opposition and said that the coalition was now wide enough to enable the passing of this type of law.
The bill was approved by the committee despite strong opposition from representatives of the Finance and Justice Ministries, who argued that the cost of implementation could add up to “hundreds of millions of shekels” a year.
MK Sheetrit said tens of thousands of celiac patients have been “treated unfairly for years, as even a super-capitalistic country like the US has tax benefits for celiac patients, and gluten-free food companies receive billions of dollars in tax benefits. What about our patients?” Kadima MK Rachel Adatto, a physician by profession, said the ministries’ opposition was “absurd.”
An estimated one of every 157 people in Israel suffer from celiac disease, but a document by the nutritional security council says that its prevalence is underestimated because of cases that are asymptomatic and a lack of awareness regarding symptoms that need checking. It estimates that there are between 48,000 and 76,000 potential sufferers, more than 15,000 of them children and teens.
The bill is a budgetary proposal and so necessitates the support of at least 50 MKs in order for it to pass. Committee Chairman Haim Katz said he would support the bill in spite of the government's opposition and said that the coalition was now wide enough to enable the passing of this type of law.
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