From: Center for Food Safety [action@foodsafetynow.org] Sent: Wednesday, April 04, 2001 1:29 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 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 writing to oppose the current regulations for genetically engineered foods. I have a PhD in chemical engineering from Caltech and work in the biotech industry - I am not merely an uninformed person alarmed by Frankenstein tactics. First of all, the failure to regulate genetically modified foods is exemplified in extreme by the Starlink corn disaster. While approval required the food to only be fed to animals, for farmers to be informed of various rules regarding growth and use of the corn, etc., farmers were uninformed, and Starlink corn showed up all over the American food supply. Only due to the testing of environmental organizations was this discovered. The Starlink corn permeated the food supply, forced buy back of tons of corn, and was completely uncontrolled. Meanwhile, scientists are now investigating whether or not some individuals may have experienced allergic reactions to the corn. Allergic reactions indeed are one of the large threats of genetically modified organisms. When I buy cashews, I know full well that they are likely to contain nut allergens. However, if part of a nut gene were used to insert an insecticidal protein into a vegetable that was unlabeled as a GMO, I would have no way of knowing not to eat the vegetable in order to avoid a life threatening allergy to nuts. Furthermore, GMO have very likely risks of recombination into wild organisms, known threats of poisonous pollens to nonpredators (such as butterflies), and in some cases limit possible tactics of organic farmers. Furthermore, these are only some of the risks that have been anticipated by GMOs, while others may likely be found by thorough scientific testing. Finally, if policy makers truly believed GMOs to be harmless, then why would they be afraid of labelling the food as genetically modified? What harm in informing the public? They have to label other ingredients in foods such as artificial dyes, and there are strict laws on what can be called "low fat" (yet see article in Science magazine, vol 291, #5513, p2536 about the unsure science regarding role of fat in the diet). Genetically modified organisms should not be allowed into the food supply until: A They are thoroughly tested and proven safe for human consumption and for the ecosystem (lack of proof of harm does not equal proven safe) B A truly adequate regulatory system is in place to monitor and enforce regulations C Foods are labeled to allow informed public (and tracking of any adverse reactions). Thank you for considering the very essential nature of the food system in our life as human beings. Natalie Winblade, Ph.D. Natalie Winblade 2331 Franklin Ave E #202 Seattle, WA, 98102 CC: The President Vice President Dick Cheney FDA Dockets Management [Docket No. 00N-1396] Senator Patty Murray Senator Maria Cantwell Representative Jim McDermottFDA 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