From: Center for Food Safety [action@foodsafetynow.org]
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2001 10:55 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,
 
I am outraged by your new policies on genetically engineered (GE)foods. 
 Despite overwhelming consumer demand, your agency still fails to require 
safety testing and mandatory labeling for GE foods. Your “notification” 
policy is an insult to consumers, and irresponsibly ignores strong 
scientific evidence of numerous potential health hazards for humans and 
environmental risks from 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. 

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 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.
    I cannot understand why learned people such as yourselves would allow 
this. You and your loved ones will be ingesting genetically engineered or 
programed foods along with all the rest of the population.  How can you not
be concerned enough to mandate safety testing? These artifically designed 
and manufactured foodstuffs are the same as any medication that comes on 
the market. Those medications have to prove their safety before they are 
released upon the public. 
     The Lord our God gave human beings the responsibility
of managing the animals and plants of our planet, all of 
which He created. Grafting and hybridizing are one thing but changing 
genetic makeup is not something that God wishes us to tamper with. I 
believe that God created perfection in His creations. Why mess with 
creation? If it
isn't broken, don't try to fix it. 
     Please examine your consciences to find the right answer. Please 
don't subject all of us to this biological 
testing just for the "almighty dollar".
     Thank you for listening. I hope you waded through the
first part of this letter which is not my creation but states my thoughts 
and feelings to get to the end which is mine. Please send me any and all 
information available on this topic. I would appreciate it, along with a 
list of those people who are responsible for making these decisions. Thank 
you. 
                     Respectfully submitted, 
         
                     Susan V. Girard
                     19 Armory St
                     Manchester, Ct.06040
     
 860-647-7005        gsgirard48@aol.com




Susan Girard
19 Armory St
Manchester, CT, 06040

CC: 
The President
Vice President Dick Cheney
FDA Dockets Management [Docket No. 00N-1396]
Senator Christopher J. Dodd
Senator Joseph I. Lieberman
Representative John LarsonFDA Dockets Management [Docket No. 00D-1598]


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