From: Lois Neate [lneate@mum.edu]
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 11:04 AM
To: fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: Genetically Engineered Foods

Dear FDA,
 
I commend you for all you do to protect the safety and promote the good health of all of us. Your responsibility is great. You are protecting the health and well being of the American people not only for today, but for the future of this country.  I know that you have the well being of all the American people at heart. This is why I am writing to you about a matter which concerns me deeply.
 
Genetically engineered (GE) foods are new and not PROVEN safe for human comsumption!!  It is very important to require health and ecological safety testing and mandatory labeling for these products. Don't put our health and environment at risk, and don't deprives consumers of the right to know or choose what there are eating.

You must:
1. Require mandatory pre-market comprehensive environmental review. Unlike conventional pollutants,  where a given amount of pollutant causes a limited amount of damage, a small number of mutant genes could have a population explosion and reproduce forever, causing 
  unlimited and irreparable damage.

2. Require mandatory pre-market long-term health testing. GE products could be toxic, cause allergic 
  responses, have lower nutritional value, and compromise immune responses in consumers.

3. Require mandatory labeling of GE products. 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 would be deprived of the critical knowledge needed to hold 
  food producers liable should any of these novel products be hazardous.

4. End its cozy relationship with the industries it purports to be regulating. People have been allowed to  work for a biotech company, then work for the FDA writing the regulatory rules on that company's product, then go back to working for the company.  Ninety-two percent of FDA advisory committee meetings had at least one conflict of interest.

Please listen and consider what the implications could be if you are not careful with GE foods.
 
Lois Neate