From: Center for Food Safety [action@foodsafetynow.org]
Sent: Thursday, March 15, 2001 6:55 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,
Your new policies on genetically engineered (GE)foods are not acceptable. 
 Despite overwhelming consumer demand, your agency still fails to require 
safety testing and mandatory labeling for GE foods. Your “notification” 
policy is akso unacceptable, and should reognize the strong scientific 
evidence of numerous potential health and environmental risks to GE foods. 
You should be aware that these foods can be toxic, can cause allergic 
responses, can compromise immune responses in consumers, and could cause 
irreparable damage to the environment.  Recent studies have led to the 
recommendation that people who have had breast cancer, or breast cancer is 
in their family, should avoid genetically engineered foods.   

I am also greatly opposed to your new “voluntary labeling” policy, which 
denies consumers a basic right to know. Without mandatory labeling, 
neither consumers nor health professionals will know if an allergic or 
toxic reaction, was the result of a genetically engineered food.  Breast 
cancer people will have no way of knowing what foods to avoid. Consumers 
will also be deprived of the critical knowledge they need to hold food 
producers liable should any of these genetically engineered foods prove 
hazardous.

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 want all genetically engineered foods labled, and I trust 
you will take my concern along with the thousands of others into serious 
consideration.


Sincerely,

Lorna Brhel

Thomas Brhel
307 Bess St.
Washington, IL, 61571

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


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