From: goldenelvis@mail.com
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 4:22 PM
To: fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: What's in your food? (FDA Dockets 00N-1396 and 00D-1598)


Dear Corporate and Government Leaders,

Neither government nor industry is protecting Americans from the risks posed to human health and the environment by genetically engineered (GE) foods. The Food and Drug Administration's "new" policy on GE foods (proposed January 18, 2001) continues to let the biotech industry regulate itself; it fails to require the long-term, pre-market safety testing demanded by independent experts. The "voluntary labeling" guidelines are a wholly inadequate response to the overwhelming public support for mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods. Therefore, I urge you to keep all genetically engineered ingredients and crops off the market unless:

1) Independent safety testing demonstrates they have no harmful effects on human health or the environment, 

2) They are labeled to ensure the consumer's right-to-know, and 

3) The biotechnology corporations that manufacture them are held accountable for any harms they may cause.


This is not just an issue for the USDA, the FDA, the EPA or one particular agency.  Human kind has now begun an experiment in which we are fundamentally desturbing the primary producers, the foundation on which excistence on this planet depends.  We have not yet begun to understand the long term effects on ourselves, on other plants, on other animals, on insects or even micro-organisms.  

I think it is irresponsible and imprudent to dive blindly into an application of this technology without extensive study, over generations, and not just months.  Bringing genetically altered food and its implications to people's attention is just a start.  Please consider what you are doing and what is in your power to avoid doing.

Please do not 


Sincerely

Justin Frodesen
532 Cole Street
SAN FRANCISCO, California 94117