From: mouse25@rocketmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2001 2:14 AM
To: fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: Docket No. 00N-1396, and 00D-1598



Jane Henney
Dockets Management Branch, Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fisher's Lane, Room 1061
Rockville, MD 20852

Dear Jane Henney,

The new regulations and guidelines put forward by your
agency on genetically engineered (GE) foods are a disappointment
for me and all American consumers. Despite overwhelming
and consistent demand, your agency still fails to require
comprehensive safety testing for GE foods. The notification
policy ignores strong scientific evidence of numerous
potential health and environmental risks to GE foods,
and allows the current system of laissez-faire oversight
to continue. As you should already know, genetically
engineered foods can be toxic, cause allergic responses,
have lower nutrition value, compromise immune responses
in consumers, and 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.
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
foods prove hazardous. And because there are ecological
risks associated with genetically engineered crops,
such as impacts on the soil ecosystem and non-target
species like Monarch butterflies, consumers may want
to avoid them.  We need labeling to be able to make
an educated decision.  I feel very strongly about this.
 All products with genetically engineered ingredients
should state so!  I have a right to know what me and
my family are eating. 

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.    What
is more important?  The environment and human lives,
or the Almighty Dollar?  You work for the American
public and not for the corporations, and you should
act as such.  

I know you will take my grave concerns into serious
consideration. 



Sincerely,


Caraleigh Holverson
700 Monroe Avenue
River Forest, Illinois 60305