From: Center for Food Safety [action@foodsafetynow.org]
Sent: Sunday, January 21, 2001 9:03 AM
To: FDA Commissioner
Cc: president@whitehouse.gov; vice.president@whitehouse.gov;
fdadockets@oc.fda.gov; fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: Oppose the New FDA Regulations on GE Foods!

FDA Commissioner Jane Henney
Dockets Management Branch (HFA 305)
Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fisher's Lane, rm. 1061
Rockville, MD 20852

RE: Docket No. 00N-1396, and 00D-1598

Dear Ms. Henney,
 
I am a physician practicing in Philadelphia.  Many of my patients suffer 
 from diseases which the best physicians cannot explain.  Often, these 
diseases turn out to be from toxic exposures.  Treatments are often 
limited and palliative, not curative.

GE foods are unknown. The body may react unpredictably.  The onus of 
responsibility to determine safety should be on YOU and other members of 
the industry and NOT CONSUMERS.  When motive is profits and health 
priorities take a back seat, our health could be the casualty.

Smoking is no longer permitted in most public places as passive smoke 
inhalation has been proven to be carcinogenic.  Long before it was proven 
to be carcinogenic and many people complained, their objections were 
labelled as conjecture, hysteria, and catastrophizing.  The tenet of being 
free from others' poisons must be followed with GE foods.  Just as one may 
know smoking is permitted in a place that he/she avoids, one must be able 
to KNOW that GE foods can be avoided if this is his/her preference.  
Labelling of GE foods MUST be MANDATORY!

If it turns out the GE foods SAVE lives, then GREAT!  Scientific proof 
must be gleaned before we sail into uncharted territories.  Please follow 
the same procedures used for medications.  As a physician, I feel more 
comfortable knowing that there were preliminary tests carried out on 
humans before a drug could be released for physician prescription.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.  Consumers' rights are more 
sanctified than potential profiteers' rights.  

Sincerely,

Matt Schwartz, MD, FAAPM&R
Philadelphia



Matt Schwartz
2020 Walnut Street - #25E
Philadelphia, PA, 19103

CC: 
The President
Vice President Dick Cheney
FDA Dockets Management [Docket No. 00N-1396]
Senator Arlen Specter
Senator Rick Santorum
Representative Robert A. Brady
Representative Chaka FattahFDA Dockets Management [Docket No. 00D-1598]


To the recipient -- this fax/email message has come to you via the Center 
for Food Safety web site -- a public tool for providing input on food 
safety issues. The user/site visitor had complete control over editing the 
content of this message.  Thus, the opinions expressed in this message are 
not necessarily those of CFS or its parent organization, ICTA.  Please 
contact CFS at (202)547-9359 or email office@centerforfoodsafety.org with 
any questions.  Thank you.

___________________________________________________________________________
This letter was composed at www.foodsafetynow.org, a web site maintained 
by:
The Center for Food Safety, 666 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, Suite 302
Washington, DC 20003 
PH: (202)547-9359    Fax: (202)547-9429    
Email: office@centerforfoodsafety.org
web: www.centerforfoodsafety.org