From: Center for Food Safety [action@foodsafetynow.org]
Sent: Tuesday, February 13, 2001 3:03 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,
 
For shame, for shame. I am writing because of your negligence in failing to 
 require safety testing and mandatory labeling for genetically engineered 
(GE) foods. I say negligence because of the strong scientific evidence of 
numerous potential health and environmental risks associated with 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. 

On the other hand, you may be thinking, they might not do all these 
things.  However, I do not wish to risk my health on something that might 
or might not be dangerous for me.  I would rather have the foods labeled 
so I could freely decide whether or not I want to buy that food.  Your 
solution to this quandary is voluntary labeling, but to date no GE food 
manufacturer has chosen to label their products as genetically engineered 
(surprise, surprise).

 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,

Jesus Pantel
Carnegie Mellon University's H. John Heinz III School 
of Public Policy and Management

Jesus Pantel
406 Morewood
Pittsburgh, PA, 15213

CC: 
The President
Vice President Dick Cheney
FDA Dockets Management [Docket No. 00N-1396]
Senator Arlen Specter
Senator Rick Santorum
Representative William J. CoyneFDA Dockets Management [Docket No. 00D-1598]


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