Secretary Sean Duffy, Let's Make Travel Family Friendly Again for Kids with Celiac Disease & Food Allergies
- Jon Bari
- 11 hours ago
- 5 min read
On December 8, 2025, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy launched the "Make Travel Family Friendly Again" Campaign along with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
With the holiday travel season upon us, the Make Travel Family Friendly Again campaign is meaningful for millions of kids like Jax (age 12) with Celiac Disease and food allergies. We applaud Secretary Duffy for emphasizing the Trump Administration's "interest in collaborating with airports and private sector partners to improve access to nutritional food options."
Jax has some great ideas for Secretary Duffy so millions of kids like him and their families can find something safe to eat while traveling across the United States.
When we travel as a family, it's often impossible to find something that's Gluten Free and Celiac-safe for Jax to eat at airports, on planes or at highway rest stops. Jax would love to meet with Secretary Duffy and his team to talk about Jax's ideas and common sense solutions to address healthy eating for kids like him with food allergies.
Grateful to Celebrate Hanukkah at the White House
It was an honor to attend the White House Hanukkah Reception, and for Jax to speak with the White House Domestic Policy Council about taking next steps in issuing rulemaking to require the labeling of Gluten on all packaged foods in the United States.
We are grateful that the MAHA Commission listened to Jax's common sense solution on Celiac Disease and Gluten labeling and made it one of the 128 bold initiatives in the Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy report.
"Eating without fear is our hope. Food insecurity happens everyday for Celiacs like me, especially when we travel. There is little to no safe Gluten Free food served on airplanes, at airports and at highway rest stops. That's like not having an ADA bathroom. Together we can change this." -- Jax Bari, the MAHA Kid, Age 12
We agree with Secretary Kennedy that "Healthy eating is part of daily life—travel days included."
Press Conference Launching the Make Travel Family Friendly Again Campaign, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), December 8, 2025
“Everyone who passes through an airport in this country should have access to fresh, whole foods. Secretary Duffy and I are working to ensure our airports set the standard for a future where healthy eating is part of daily life—travel days included.” -- U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
We would love for Farmer's Fridge to offer some safe Gluten Free options at airports, highway rest stops and across their network of healthy vending machines.
Transportation Food Deserts: A Day in the Life
Secretary Duffy, we want to share a day in the life from our travel perspective.
Imagine leaving your hotel in Colorado at 5:30AM, traveling by car to Denver for more than 125 miles through a snow storm, arriving at Denver International Airport (DIA) and not finding any safe Gluten Free food options.
Then imagine having your flight delayed which caused you to miss your connecting flight in Dallas.
Then, upon arriving at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), there is no safe Gluten Free food to be found throughout the terminals (plural). Keep in mind that all the while, your airline has not served safe Gluten Free food in flight, even when you tried to order it in advance, and even if you flew First Class.
15+ hours after leaving your hotel in Colorado, you arrive at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), again to find no safe Gluten Free food options. Imagine someone not being able to use the restroom for 15+ hours since there was not an ADA accessible bathroom. That is not acceptable and it's inhumane.
For an entire day across three meals, three states and three time zones, you cannot feed your child anything except a protein bar and a bag of chips that you packed in advance or luckily found at the airport. You cannot even find chocolate milk that is labeled Gluten Free at any of the airport vendors or restaurants.
The rest of the family also cannot practically eat because how would that make your child feel watching his parents and sister have a meal, while there is no safe Gluten Free meal available for him.
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated experience, but the daily reality of travel for millions of Americans with Celiac Disease and food allergies. For Celiac patients and their families, travel is often defined by anxiety and food insecurity, regardless of age or socio-economic status. The constant threat of Gluten cross-contact, the prevalence of Gluten in approximately 80% of foods, the scarcity and high cost of Gluten Free options -- particularly while traveling -- and the lack of mandatory Gluten labeling on packaged foods and menus make safe eating an anxiety producing travel nightmare.
"When airports and highways are paid for with tax dollars, there should be reasonable food service accommodations made at those facilities for people with disabilities including Celiac Disease. Just like an ADA bathroom is a requirement at airports and rest stops, we must reimagine providing safe food service options to ensure that there are healthy food options for those with Celiac Disease and food allergies." -- Jon Bari
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Failed
Jax has been working to make travelling with Celiac Disease and food allergies better since September 2021 when Jax initially reached out to former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Unfortunately, Jax's pleas for help were met with apathy from Secretary Pete! On December 21, 2021, Secretary Pete wrote to Jax,
"I appreciate you raising the topic of gluten-free food served on airplanes, at airports, and at highway rest stops. I have shared your story and comments on current food options with members of my team who work with airlines, airports, and rest stops.
As you may know, the U.S. Department of Transportation is a vast agency--encompassing nearly 55 ,000 employees who are responsible for everything from transit and highways to pipeline safety and commercial space travel. I want you to know that my colleagues and I are working day in and day out to protect the safety of the American people, to rise to the climate challenge, to make sure transportation is an engine of opportunity for all, and to ensure our country's economic strength and global competitiveness for generations to come."
Secretary Pete refused to meet with Jax and the Celiac Journey Army of kids to hear their ideas. Under Secretary Pete's leadership, the Secretary's 55,000 employees also failed to help, let alone ever follow up.
Biden Administration Failed to Protect the Celiac Community
In addition to Secretary Buttigieg, the Biden Administration failed miserably to help Jax and the Celiac Journey Army even after Jax met with the President, HHS Secretary Becerra, HHS Assistant Secretary Levine and FDA Commissioner Califf. Watch the heartbreaking video that epitomized the Biden Administration's apathy.
Let's Do This Secretary Duffy!
