From: Center for Food Safety [action@foodsafetynow.org]
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2001 1:24 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 and environmental risks 
to 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. While the big food companies point 
to genetically engineered crops with additional vitamins and beneficial 
drugs built into them, the overwhelming majority of GE crops are 
engineered to cut costs by adding pesticides and other foreign agents into 
our food. Putting aside the ecological risks posed by such tampering, I 
respect the right of food companies to do what they want. However, I am 
NOT interested in putting my health at risk by unknowingly eating this 
tainted food just so THEY can save money. They oppose labeling because 
they know that, if given a choice, people WON'T CHOOSE THESE PRODUCTS.

Putting these companies' interests ahead of the general public is 
unconscionable.

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.


Sincerely,

Charles Christensen



Charles Christensen
1700 West Summerdale
Chicago, IL, 60640

CC: 
The President
Vice President Dick Cheney
FDA Dockets Management [Docket No. 00N-1396]
Senator Richard J. Durbin
Senator Peter Fitzgerald
Representative Rod R. Blagojevich
Representative Janice SchakowskyFDA Dockets Management [Docket No. 00D-1598]


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