From: Nancy Gift [ng19@cornell.edu]
Sent: Friday, April 06, 2001 3:33 PM
To: fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: re: dockets 00N-1396 and 00D-1598

Dear FDA Commissioner Henney,

The proposed Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations fail to require 
labels or environmental safety tests on genetically engineered (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.

As a graduate student in crop science, I work with genetically engineered 
crops and feel that I understand their potential environmental effects and 
possible safety risks.  I am not opposed to the use of genetically 
engineered crops in food or feed.  However, I don't believe that adequate 
environmental testing and environmental risk evaluation are taken by 
biotech companies, and I am concerned, as a weed scientist, about 
outcrossing between GE crops and wild plants.  Corn and soybean do not pose 
significant risk in these respects, but genetically engineered, 
herbicide-tolerant canola and turfgrasses will be introduced soon, and both 
of these are ecologically extremely bad ideas.

In addition, 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 identified. By refusing to require both 
labeling and mandatory pre-market safety testing of foods, the FDA fails to 
satisfy the overwhelming desire of American consumers to exercise freedom 
of choice in the marketplace. 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 
voluntarily label their foods in the future.  Labeling will be expensive 
and logistically difficult, but I suggest that the ability to trace grain 
and other foods to the fields in which they were harvested will also prove 
invaluable in case of new disease or public health issues.

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

1) Independent safety testing demonstrates they have no harmful effects on 
human health or the environment;

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

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

Sincerely,
Nancy Gift
Doctoral Candidate in Weed Science