From: Michelle Langhout Naperville [Michelle.Langhout@alliedintl.com] Sent: Monday, March 26, 2001 1:47 PM To: 'fdadockets@oc.fda.gov' Cc: 'action201@sustainableagriculture.net' Subject: Docket 00N-1396 & Docket 00D-1598 Importance: Low To Whom it May Concern at the FDA, and Tommy Thompson: I have recently learned the FDA plans not to label GE (genetically engineered) food, which may be in as much as 70% of the processed food on the market, and even plans to limit voluntary labeling by food processors. This has me very concerned, as long-term effects of GE food have not yet been available for study. As a consumer, I routinely check food labels for items such as trans-fatty acids and hydrogenated oils because these items will have a direct negative impact on my health. I feel it is not only good, but necessary to label products which contain GE foods so that I and other consumers like me have the opportunity to make informed choices. Labeling of GE foods will cost virtually nothing to the companies that make them, since most processed foods already have labels. Also, please mandate labeling of GE fresh produce. This may be more costly, but as a consumer I need to know exactly how my produce has been treated. In conclusion, I feel genetic engineering of food products is unnecessary, and potentially harmful. When people tamper with the basic genetic structure of a food, they are in essence creating something which has never existed in nature. Most people are naturally aware that mutations are harmful to the organism they effect, and genetic tampering basically does just this. Who knows how dangerous these things are to people who consume them? We wouldn't eat apples grown in orchards near Chernobyl, which while apparently hardier and better-tasting, are tainted and dangerous due to irradiation and mutations! There simply hasn't been enough time to study the effects of GE food to make it available for human or animal consumption. However, if GE food is here to stay (and apparently, it is), then the general public needs to know what it is eating. Please, please, please mandate labeling of all GE products, whether processed, animal-fed, or fresh produce. Please also ensure that Tommy Thompson gets this message. Thank you. Michelle Langhout Ph: (630) 236-6369 Email: Michelle.Langhout@NAIntl.com