From: mcgeecolleen@hotmail.com
Sent: Tuesday, March 20, 2001 11:40 AM
To: fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: What's in your food? (FDA Dockets 00N-1396 and 00D-1598)


Dear Corporate and Government Leaders,

Neither government nor industry is protecting Americans from the risks posed to human health and the environment by genetically engineered (GE) foods. The Food and Drug Administration's "new" policy on GE foods (proposed January 18, 2001) continues to let the biotech industry regulate itself; it fails to require the long-term, pre-market safety testing demanded by independent experts. The "voluntary labeling" guidelines are a wholly inadequate response to the overwhelming public support for mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods. Therefore, I urge you to keep all genetically engineered ingredients and crops off the market unless:

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

2) They are labeled to ensure the consumer's right-to-know, and 

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


I am a nursing mother and I have been getting sores in my mouth, until recently I figured out it was from cereal I was eating, I called the componies help line to ask which cereals had GE ingeredients and they could not help me because they do not even know which ones have them, It really upsets me as a consumer and mother to have little faith in the FDA, is money more important than my families health? Please restore my faith in you. Your job is so important to health and wellbeing of our country.


Sincerely

Colleen McGee
916 Riley
Lansing, Michigan 48910