From: Luna Lee [luna24_2002@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 07, 2001 10:30 PM
To: fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: ge foods

Dear FDA Commissioner Henney,

The proposed Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
regulations fail to require labels or safety tests on
genetically (GE) food.  The new rules continue to deny
Americans the right to know what is in our food, while
protecting the economic interests of biotech
corporations.

Labeling GE foods would protect the public from
potential hazardous health effects such as food
allergies and toxicity that can only be traced if GE
foods can be indetified.  By refusing to require both
labeling and mandatory pre-market safety testing of
foods, the FDA puts consumer's health at risk, ignores
possible enviromental hazards, and fails to satisfy
the overwhelming desire of American consumers to
exercise freedom of choice in the marketplace.

It is not enough to require the firms simply notify
you of their intent to market a food produced with
genetic engineering; this is no substitute for
thorough pre-market safety testing.  The proposed
"voluntary labeling" guidelines will do nothing to
inform consumers of the presence of genetically
engineered ingredients in their food, because  biotech
companies and food manufacturers have vehemently
opposed labeling in the past and will not volutarily
label their foods in the future.

Therefore, I urge you to keep all genetically
engineered ingredients and crops off the market unless
or until:

1) Independent safety testing demostrates they have no
harmful effects on human health or the enviroment.

2) They are labeled to ensure consumers right-to-know;
and

3) The biotechnology corporations that produce them
are held responsible fpr any harms they may cause.

Sincerely,
Paula Lee

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