From: John Tracy [jtracy@carolina.rr.com]
Sent: Sunday, March 25, 2001 9:09 AM
To: fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
Subject: GE products

To whom it may concern,

I am a physician practicing Family Medicine in North Carolina.

Please heed the increasing public concern over the safety of genetically
engineered foods.  While there are powerful economic interests at work, the
addition of an entire class of food to the public domain is an issue
requiring careful scrutiny.  It is imperative that the FDA follow the
dictum, "First, do no harm."  There are numerous historical cases in which
man's well-intentioned, but poorly conceived manipulation of the environment
has led to extensive physical and economic suffering.

In particular, it would be advisable to do the following before GE foods are
allowed into the general market:

1. Require safety testing, in humans, after appropriate initial testing, for
each individual genetically engineered product.
2. Require a careful environmental impact assessment for each individual
genetically engineered product.
3. Use large enough samples to detect uncommon, but significant problems.

If any food is approved, this food should carry mandatory labeling
indicating the type and degree of genetic modification as well as a warning
label addressing any threat to sensitive individuals.  This labeling should
be of the type used in labeling drugs and should list allergy information,
any known food-drug or food-food interactions, and anything else unique to
the product.

While the media can cloud technical issues such as this one, objective
information should be made public prior to the official sanction of GE
foods.

Thanks for your diligence,

John W. Tracy, MD