| Comment Record |
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Commentor |
Mr. Will Wan |
Date/Time |
2001-05-03 21:38:33 |
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Organization |
Awaken First Aid |
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Category |
Health Professional |
| Comments for FDA General |
| Questions |
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1. General Comments
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Dear FDA Commissioner,
The proposed FDA regulations fail to require labels or safety screening on genetically engineered (GE) food. The new rules continue to deny Americans the right to know what is in our food, especially when GE foods have potential human health risks.
Labeling GE foods would protect the public from substantiated hazardous health effects such as food allergies and toxicity that can only be traced if GE foods can be identified. By refusing to require labeling and mandatory pre-market safety testing of foods, the FDA puts consumer's health at risk for chronic illnesses. In addition, the FDA ignores possible environmental hazards such as GE seeds mixing with non-GE seeds and the rules fail to satisfy the overwhelming desire of American consumers to exercise freedom of choice in the marketplace.
It is not enough to require that firms simply notify you of their intent to market a food produced with Genetic engineering; this is no substitute for thorough pre-market safety testing. The proposed voluntary labeling guidelines will do nothing to inform the public of the presence of GE ingredients in their food, because Biotech firms and their food manufacturers have previously opposed (rather vehemently) labeling and will not voluntarily label their GE foods in the future without FDA guidelines to do so.
Therefore, I urge you to keep all genetically engineered ingredients and crops off the market unless or until:
a)Independent safety testing demonstrates they have absolutely no harmful effects on human health (not just looking for mortality) or the environment;
b)They are labeled to ensure consumers right-to-know;
c)The Biotech industry is held responsible for any harmful human and environmental effects.
Sincerely,
William Wan
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