| Comment Record |
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Commentor |
Dr. Steven Guich |
Date/Time |
2001-03-12 01:24:56 |
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Organization |
University of California at Irvine |
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Category |
Academic |
| Comments for FDA General |
| Questions |
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1. General Comments
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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
To Whom It May Concern:
It is unfortunate that the policies currently in place by the US FDA regarding genetically engineered foods do not respect either the wishes of a large and growing segment of the American people, or the growing evidence from and opinion of the scientific community, on the right (and NEED) to have available potentially critical health information on which foods have been genetically modified (GM).
The continued lack of an FDA required required mandate for labeling genetically modified (GM) foods deeply violates the spirit of the FDA, as well as that of this administration - allowing individuals the right to CHOOSE the foods they consume based on required labeling of this questionable practice of genetic modification of food.
The possibility of health threats arising from toxic by-products, allergic reactions and in some cases, questionable nutritutional value has the potential to seriously compromise the health of individuals, the environment and our future food supplies.
The recent FDA voluntary labeling policy does not go NEARLY far enough to protect an individual's right to know about the foods that are consumed. This is just plain BAD policy. Every person has the right to choose for themselves, based on REQUIRED labeling of foods with controversial ingredients of preparation such as GM. The lack of a clear mandate to require truthful labeling of such foods as genetically modified, seems to protect the big business of bio-engineering at the expense of placing society at risk for their health safety.
Please respect the spirit of the FDA and the wishes of a large and growing number of Americans - please do the RIGHT thing, and not simply succumb to the financial pressuring of big business. For the FDA to ignore their responsibility to allow consumers to vote their dollars and make their OWN decisions in the marketplace through requiring truth in labeling, would be a deep and unconscionable violation of ethics, congressional mandate and the spirit of the FDA as embodied in founding FDA chairman Harvey Washington Wiley, M.D.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this vital matter.
Sincerely,
Steven M. Guich, PhD.
1198 Noria St
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
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