Health Minister Yaakov Litzman announced last month that he is working to increase the availability of gluten-free items as well as lowering the price of such items.

The ministry is now speaking of allocating NIS 9 million towards achieving this, to permit an increase in the production of existing factories as well as adding new ones.

Dan Solomon, who heads the national organization representing persons with celiac and their rights, adds that this is the first time the state is recognizing persons with celiac are spending almost an additional NIS 3,000 annually (NIS 240 monthly) based on the studies conducted recently by the committee appointed to probe the economic component of the illness. However, he accuses Litzman of failing to read the fine print of the committee’s findings. He adds it is “absurd” that among the products on Litzman’s list, flour is excluded. He feels Litzman and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon are only implementing portions of the committee recommendations.

However, as he continued his criticism, perhaps Solomon’s real agenda was uncovered. “The government allocated an additional NIS 50 million for mosdos Torah. This is based on NIS 477 monthly per talmid and NIS 857 monthly per avreich.

“Kahlon and Litzman are throwing sand in the eyes at the celiac patients in the name of coalition agreements, while they totally ignore the recommendations of the committee”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)