From: George Schroeder [gschroeder@mercury.bernco.gov]
Sent: Thursday, February 15, 2001 3:16 PM
To: 'fdadockets@oc.fda.gov'
Subject: Dockets #OOD-1598 and OON-1396


Dear Commissioner:

As an Environmental Health Sanitarian concerned with the safety of our food
supply I urge you to reconsider your position on Genetically Modified foods
so that pre-market safety testing and labeling of these foods becomes a
requirement.

As a regulator of food-serving and processing establishments I see my role
as one that enables food-related businesses to thrive through compliance
with common-sense health-related regulations.  I do not see my self as an
enabler of business to engage in unsafe practices.  What your current
position on Genetically Modified foods in effect does is to enable business
to threaten environmental quality and public safety and deny people freedom
of choice in the foods they purchase.  

Concerned scientists have legitimate long-term health and ecological reasons
for wanting Genetically Modified foods to at least be required to be labeled
and safety tested.  The burden of proof should be on industry, and verified
by government, to show that Genetically Modified foods do not pose the
ecological and public health risks they are currently believed to pose
rather than placing the burden of proof on the potentially-impacted,
unscientific, under-funded, public-at-large to prove that risks do exist.  

I urge you to reconsider your position on Genetically Modified foods and
make safety testing and labeling mandatory.

Sincerely,

George Schroeder
Sanitarian
Bernalillo County Environmental Health Department
505-924-3670