From: moch@cats.ucsc.edu
Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2001 7:02 PM
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,

I am very disappointed in the new regulations and guidelines
put forward by your agency on genetically engineered
(GE) foods. Despite overwhelming and consistent demand
by U.S. citizenry, 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.  

 I have a nut allergy and I have had had many reactions
to foods that apparently contain no nuts or nut traces.
 As you know, genetically engineered foods can additionally
be toxic, 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, which
is one of the primary problems currently. 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. 

Your proposed rules ignore serious concerns, and appear
to be a decision made without  considering public health
and the environment.  I trust you will take my concerns
into serious consideration and I would appreciate a
response. 




Sincerely,


Maren Mochizuki
500 McLaughlin Drive
Santa Cruz, California 95064