From: cbdesign@chrisbarnes.com
Sent: Friday, February 02, 2001 12:19 AM
To: fdadockets@oc.fda.gov
Cc: cbdesign@chrisbarnes.com
Subject: Oppose FDA's New Regulations on Genetically Engineered Food

Chris Barnes
2417 Woodfi3.
Olympia, WA  98501 
cbdesign@chrisbarnes.com


RE: Docket No. 00N-1396, and 00D-1598

Dear FDA,
 
We are outraged by your new policies on genetically engineered (GE) foods. Despite overwhelming consumer demand, your agency still fails to require safety testing and mandatory labeling for GE foods. Your "notification" policy is an insult to consumers, and irresponsibly ignores strong scientific evidence of numerous potential health and environmental risks to GE foods. These foods could be toxic, could cause allergic responses, could have lower nutrition value, could compromise immune responses in consumers, and could cause irreparable damage to the environment. 

We are 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. Consumers will also be deprived of the knowledge they need to hold food producers liable should any of these novel foods prove hazardous.

Your proposed rules appear to be made to serve the convenience of industry at the expense of public health and the environment. The Federal Government's role should be to protect consumers from industry, not to protect industry from informed consumers. 

We urge you to alter the proposed rules to ensure that: a) industry is required to perform extensive safety testing before bringing a product to market, and b) that once a product is brought to market, mandatory labeling clearly identifies the product as containing GE food products.

Sincerely,

Chris Barnes and Holly Reeves

Chris Barnes