From: Sen. Preister, Don [dpreister@unicam.state.ne.us]
Sent: Friday, March 30, 2001 4:17 PM
To: 'fdadockets@oc.fda.gov'
Subject: re: dockets 00N-1396 and 00D-1598

Nebraska Legislature
5th District
State Capitol
Lincoln, Nebraska 68509
(402) 471-2710

March 30, 2001

FDA Commissioner Dockets Management Branch
(HFA 305) Food and Drug Administration
5630 Fisher's Lane, Room 1061
Rockville, Maryland 20852

Regards: dockets 00N-1396 and 00D-1598, proposed regulation of bioengineered
foods

Dear FDA Commissioner:

The proposed Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations for genetically
engineered (GE) food fail to adequately address the associated health and
environmental safety risks. The new regulations continue to favor the
biotech industry and its bottom line at the expense of the consumer. These
regulations do not promote the health and safety of the American public.

The FDA must require the mandatory labeling of GE products. Without
mandatory labeling, neither consumers nor health professionals will know if
an allergic or toxic reaction was the result of a genetically engineered
food. By refusing to require labeling, the FDA puts the health of the public
at risk, as well as denies the right of the consumer to make informed
choices about food purchases.
 
The FDA must require mandatory pre-market long-term health testing of GE
products. Genetic engineering integrates material from organisms that have
never been a part of the human food supply into our food, changing the
fundamental nature of what we eat. GE products could be toxic, cause
allergic reactions, or even compromise immune responses in consumers. 

The FDA must require mandatory pre-market comprehensive environmental
review. The recent StarLink corn debacle shows how unprepared the
agriculture industry is for the risks of GE crops. The cross-pollination and
contamination issue has been an economic nightmare for Nebraska and other
states' farmers, and shows how difficult the containment of a GE crop is
once it has been introduced. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently
released a report stating that a complete segregation of biotech crops from
unmodified crops is currently a practical impossibility. At the very least,
new biotech crops must undergo comprehensive testing to determine their
impact on the environment at a whole.

Finally, the FDA must hold biotechnology corporations liable for any harm
their engineered products may cause. The general public should never have to
pay with their health, safety, or quality of life in a healthy environment
for the mistakes or unforeseen consequences of GE foods.

If the FDA is truly concerned about the health and safety of the American
consumer, it will take a closer look at its proposed genetically engineered
food regulation, remove the bias towards the biotechnology corporations, and
make the industry accountable to the consumer.   


Respectfully,


Senator Don Preister
District #5