From: Center for Food Safety [action@foodsafetynow.org] Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2001 11:45 PM 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 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 FDA, I am outraged by your new policies on genetically engineered (GE)foods. You are being completely irresponsible to the American Public. I feel my freedom and rights to healthy food of my choice are being infringed upon. This is akin to forcing me to eat foods that, given the choice, I choose not to. I personally regard GE foods as a dangerous experiement that could result in the destruction of many species of life on this planet. This is completely irresponsible of you. Despite overwhelming consumer demand, your agency still fails to require safety testing and mandatory labeling for GE foods. Your “notification” policy is an insult to consumers, and irresponsibly ignores strong scientific evidence of numerous potential health and environmental risks to GE foods. You should be aware that these foods could be toxic, could cause allergic responses, could have lower nutrition value, could compromise immune responses in consumers, and could cause irreparable damage to the environment. I am also greatly opposed to your new “voluntary labeling” policy, which denies consumers a basic right to know. I do not wish myself or my family to eat GE foods and yet by your decision I will be forced to eat them unknowlingly. This is completely irresponsible and infringes on my right to the pursuit of health and happiness according to our Constitution. Without mandatory labeling, neither consumers nor health professionals will know if an allergic or toxic reaction was the result of a genetically engineered food. Consumers will also be deprived of the critical knowledge they need to hold food producers liable should any of these novel foods prove hazardous. Your proposed rules ignore serious concerns, and appear to be a decision made to convenience industry at the expense of public health and the environment. I will not accept your attempt to make me a guinea pig of these untested foods, and I trust you will take my concern along with the thousands of others into serious consideration. Sincerely, Shanti Stearns Shanti Stearns 71 Steuben St. New York, NY, 11205 CC: The President Vice President Dick Cheney FDA Dockets Management [Docket No. 00N-1396] Senator Charles Schumer Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton Representative Edolphus TownsFDA 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